Falling from the sky

Recently, I had the most amazing phone conversation with someone I have never met. In fact, this lady began her call by telling me she knew nothing about me until someone gave her one of my business cards and told her she should invite me to speak at her club. As we talked, I remembered how, the previous week after I spoke somewhere else, another lady came up to me, introduced herself and asked if she could take one of my cards for her friend who was always looking for good speakers for her own club. Of course, I was happy for her to do that, but even as we chatted, I wondered if she would indeed remember to pass it on. Sometimes, people make such statements but may not follow through.

This time around, however, my doubts were ill-founded. As the phone conversation continued, my caller explained she had now checked out my website and would be very interested to have me come and speak and to meet me.

‘I find it very hard to get speakers,’ she said. ‘I have a long list of them but none of their topics seemed to jump out at me. Could you perhaps come to our club in May?’

She suggested a certain date which, miraculously, was still free in my diary.

‘That’s so wonderful!’ she blurted out then. ‘I have just come back from a bus trip and, all the way home, I was thinking over and over, “Who can I get to speak?” and praying hard too. Oh – it’s like you’ve fallen from the sky for me!’

I am sure no one else has ever said such a thing to me before. I laughed, but she insisted that was what it felt like to her. ‘You’re definitely an answer to prayer,’ she then added with relief.

We went on to discuss which of my talks I would give on the day, but even at the end of our conversation, she was still marvelling how I had ‘literally’ fallen from the sky for her and how God had provided her with a speaker at just the right moment.

At the time of our phone call, we had visitors in our home, so I then shared this story with them. We discussed the interesting theology behind the idea of someone falling from the sky – but we knew what this lady meant and rejoiced with her at the amazing way God answers our prayers.

Later, her joy over this whole event caused me to think further about answers to prayer I have seen in my own life – and also to wonder how many I may have missed noticing altogether. At times, I suspect I can pray about something but, when the answer comes, I can, to my shame, forget God’s part in it altogether. I may attribute it merely to good management on my part – or perhaps even to chance or coincidence.  As a result, how many wonderful ‘falling from the sky’ moments have I missed? And how thankless I have been towards God too.

I hope I have learnt my lesson. I hope I will rejoice and be thankful much more often in future.

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1

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In the heat of the moment

I am sure I used to be calmer under pressure. When put on the spot, I could usually manage to string together a few words that kind of made sense. But these days, I sometimes find such scenarios a little more challenging. If I am not careful, my brain can seize up and I can lose the thread of what I truly wanted to say.

Take being interviewed on radio, for instance, when I do not know what the next question will be – something I have experienced three times in recent weeks in connection with my latest book, Swansong. Thankfully, such interviews are often pre-recorded, which reassures me a little and also gives the presenter leeway to cut out anything later. Yet, I found it quite a challenge each time as I sat at my desk, talking with a gentleman I had never met via video or phone and hoping my responses to his questions made sense.

When Jesus himself spoke anywhere while on earth, especially when challenged in the heat of the moment, he did not hesitate. Whatever the risk, he spoke out with such clarity and authority – the authority given to him by his heavenly Father. On one occasion, Jesus explained this again to his disciples when seeking to comfort and reassure them who he was and where he was going:

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. John 14:10

Earlier on in his ministry too, when sending his twelve disciples out, Jesus gave them authority to heal and drive out demons but also warned them in no uncertain terms what would happen when challenged:

But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10:19–20

Now I am definitely not Jesus. And, as far as I know, I am not about to be arrested for anything I might say during a radio interview about my latest book! Yet, in those moments when I too may grope for words to express what is in my heart, I am so grateful that, if I focus on God, even for a brief moment, I am reassured I am not alone. God’s Spirit is indeed with me and in me at all times and will help me find the right words to say that will make sense and impact others in a positive way. Instead of giving in to fear then, I can take a deep breath, centre myself in God again, relax – and enjoy the wonderful opportunity I have been given to put my words out there and trust that God will use them in some way to bless others.

As God’s people, all of us, whoever we are, can find ourselves in those ‘heat of the moment’ situations at unexpected times, with opportunity to share about our faith in God. May we take a deep breath, listen well to the Spirit, then step out and speak with confidence and joy!

NB To find two of Jo-Anne’s radio interviews about her book Swansong, please click here.

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Letting down the nets

How do you honestly feel as you face the new year ahead? Right now, for some at least, everything is swinging into top gear again as school begins and as church programs get under way. For others, perhaps it is more of the ‘same old same old’, with nothing much changing. For some, this may be a time full of anticipation and excitement at the thought of new experiences and fresh challenges waiting to be conquered. For others, the year ahead may seem far too daunting – or, alternately, perhaps too dreary a prospect to contemplate for long.

This year began with a bang for me, with the release of my third non-fiction book, Swansong (click here for more details). But, after the initial excitement of launching a book, hard work of a different kind begins – not writing and editing this time but speaking at various places and promoting my book in whatever way I can. I knew this would be the case – this is my tenth book, after all – and I am happy to tackle most aspects at least of the whole marketing side of things. I enjoy meeting people as I promote my books at Koorong, for example, and I particularly love speaking at all sorts of places – community clubs of various kinds, church groups, whatever. Yet, even when one likes doing something, there are still hours of preparation involved, not to mention hours of emailing and talking to people, in order to set up speaking engagements or organise some other event.

On days when I am a little more tired than usual, this can all seem like a very high mountain to climb – so perhaps that is why I resonated with some words Simon said on one occasion, in response to a request Jesus put to him, when I came across them one morning. In Luke 5, we read how Jesus boards Simon’s fishing boat and asks him to push out from the shore a little, in order for him to be able to teach the crowds better who have gathered around Lake Galilee to hear him. The story continues:

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’

Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’ Luke 5:4–5

Immediately, Simon’s last few words caused me to sit up straight and listen carefully to what God wanted me to learn. Simon must have felt so weary already and discouraged as well – to the point where he is unafraid to tell Jesus how hard he has worked already, for no result. Yet he does not refuse to do what Jesus tells him to do. Even at this early stage, before Simon leaves everything and follows Jesus (5:7), he bows to Jesus’ authority and does exactly what Jesus says.

There is so much hidden in those few little words ‘because you say so’, isn’t there? Respect. Honour. Trust. Obedience. Humility. Hope. May all these characterise our own attitudes to Jesus in the coming year. May we too willingly ‘let down our nets’ again, whatever shape or form they may take and however Jesus tells us to, as we trust him for the outcome.

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Sharing the joy

‘Congratulations, Jo-Anne!’ a friend said as they greeted me one recent Sunday at church. ‘You must be so excited that your book has finally been released!’

Her comment warmed my heart – and, with relief, I realised I could indeed feel some excitement at least bubbling up inside me. You see, only two days earlier, my latest non-fiction book, Swansong: Start creating your legacy of life-giving words, had been released by Authentic Media UK, an event I had been looking forward to for almost a year since signing a contract with them Yet, those months of waiting had held unexpected challenges on various fronts, leaving me rather depleted in energy and strangely unable to muster much enthusiasm at all on the release of my tenth book.

But God had things in hand. The previous Sunday, as I had moved to serve on our church’s prayer team, another team member turned to me.

‘I think God wants me to pray for you today, Jo-Anne. Is there something you need prayer for?’

Immediately, I told her about my upcoming book release and how much I needed more energy to complete all the various promotional tasks awaiting me at this stage. This lovely lady then prayed earnestly for me – and I was so touched. That afternoon, I managed to organise the invitations for just a small, intimate-sized book launch this time around and, as the week unfolded, I was able to deal with even more book tasks needing to be done. In the days that followed, I let this lady know how God had answered her prayer – and I thanked God myself too for strengthening me and sustaining me.

On the actual release day, after sharing my book news online via email and other ways (please click here for further information), friends and acquaintances began contacting me, congratulating me on having yet another book published. One after another, those messages kept flooding in – and, despite my tiredness, I was so touched. These people, I realised, truly wanted to share in the joy of this moment with me and, as I let that fact sink in, joy gradually rose up inside me too, along with so much gratitude to God, not only for these ones who had sincerely reached out and connected heart-to-heart with me but also for my writing journey as a whole.

In Romans 12:15, we find a simple, clear instruction from the Apostle Paul:

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.’

In the past, I think I have more easily understood the need to do the latter but have ignored the former a little. I know how important it is to walk beside someone who is grieving, to reach out, share their pain and try to comfort them. Yet, since my book was released, I have also realised what a loving, healing experience it can be when others step out and rejoice with us over some happy event in our lives or some milestone we have reached. These people are not acting in a self-centred or uncaring or jealous way. Instead, they are sincerely glad something wonderful has happened for me – and their caring words have encouraged and affirmed me so much. May we all learn to reach out in love and share more readily in the joy of others as if their successes were indeed our own.

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The legacy of words

Last Friday, my third non-fiction book, Swansong, subtitled Start creating your legacy of life-giving words today, was released by Authentic Media UK. This was a surreal moment for me. When I started writing in 2004, I would never have envisaged that, twenty years on, I would have seven novels and three non-fiction books published. In fact, I was sure I would never write any non-fiction. Yet, as things unfolded, it seemed God had other ideas – including this latest book of mine.

In a nutshell, Swansong is a gentle challenge to consider carefully how God’s words and the words of others have impacted us and how the words we in turn speak and write can best honour God and build others up. The little video below gives a further brief glimpse into the theme of the book:

Copies of Swansong are available from my website, Koorong and Amazon (print and e-book).

Two years ago, I began to wonder if God wanted me to write something about the power of our words and the potential they have to be truly life-giving to others. I played around with various titles for such a book and wondered how I could organise the chapter ideas that were beginning to percolate in my mind, but still found myself quite confused as to how to move forward with it all.

Then one Saturday in March of that year, at the beginning of a Retreat Day at our church, we were encouraged to write down what we hoped God would show us or teach us as we spent time in prayer and reflection that day. I remember I described how confused I felt as to how to proceed with my book and how I hoped God would show me clearly what shape it should take. A few moments later, to my amazement, the word ‘swansong’ came clearly to mind as a title for the book, along with a possible sub-title – ‘leaving a legacy of life-giving words’ – which the publisher later suggested changing to ‘start creating a legacy of life-giving words today’. As a result of this experience, I truly believe God’s hand has been on all aspects of this book from the beginning – and indeed on my whole subsequent journey to publication with the wonderful team at Authentic Media UK.

As I launch Swansong, my heart is full of thankfulness for the way God has enabled me to bring this book into being, despite various challenges along the way. My sincere hope and prayer for any of you who may read it is that you will sense God’s Spirit drawing you closer, revealing more of Jesus to you, the very Word made flesh (John 1) and that you will hear Jesus’ own gentle voice speaking encouraging words deep into your heart. May you be strengthened to speak and write all the words of empathy, mercy, wisdom, forgiveness, comfort and so much more that God has uniquely equipped you to express. May your heart’s desire be the same as David’s when he wrote:

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

And when you reach the time of your own swansong, may God enable you to be at peace, knowing you have done your best to leave a legacy of life-giving words that will continue ministering to others.

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Letting the past speak

I wonder if you have ever kept a journal of some description. I have done so for years but, these days, I tend to wait until something I experience or read either in Scripture or elsewhere truly impacts me, before putting pen to paper. Yet however many or few entries I have made, it is always enlightening to stop and reflect on them all as the new year begins.

My first observation on reading through my 2023 entries is that I worried far too much about so many issues – those other people were facing and some in my own life. Yet what did all this worrying do, especially where others were concerned? I could not control their actions or responses – they had to make their own choices. But I could pray for them and certainly did, just as I prayed about the issues in my own life – and God did indeed answer, often unfolding things in ways I would never have imagined.

My second observation is that, linked with all this worry, there was far too much fear in me about how things would work out for all concerned, including for me. Yet, I also noticed with some relief the many times I turned to Scripture for the comfort and strength I needed – and God did indeed speak strongly to me through it in different ways. Even now, as I look back on the various verses that particularly ministered to me, I am filled with gratitude and strengthened all over again as I read them:

• The account of the Lord appearing to Abraham and Sarah with news that Sarah would have a child (Genesis 18:1–15), especially verse 14a: ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’
• The closing words of a psalm of David, written in the middle of battle:

With God we shall gain the victory,
    and he will trample down our enemies. Psalm 60:12

• The account of how Jesus calms the storm on the lake and reassures his disciples (Matthew 8:23–27), especially verse 26a: ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’
• Various parts of Matthew 9 where Jesus shows his supreme authority through the amazing healings he performs and through his wise words.

My third observation is that, through all the ups and downs of the past year, God steadfastly enabled me to keep going with my writing and speaking and continually reached out to me with such understanding and encouragement. I am sure that, without God, I would not have been able to work my way through the whole editing and publication process of my latest non-fiction book Swansong, due for release very shortly, with my new publisher, Authentic Media UK. As well, God enabled me to complete and submit yet another manuscript to this same publisher and to experience the joy of seeing it too accepted for publication, hopefully later this year. To me, this has been a miracle – I truly feel I have received such favour and mercy from God’s hand.

May God’s favour and blessing continue to rest upon us all as we step into 2024 and seek to love and serve God however we can.

May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us;
    establish the work of our hands for us –
    yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

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So valued

It can be so uplifting, can’t it, when others value us and what we offer? It can make us stand taller and straighter, feel stronger and more whole and even help us see the world around us in a much more positive light.

Recently, our son bought a selection of the books I have written as Christmas gifts for the teachers in his school staffroom. I was surprised at his request but happy to oblige. Yet it was more than that, I realised, as I helped him choose which book might best suit each teacher. I felt touched and honoured that he valued me not only as a mum but also as a writer – that he thought enough of my books to give them as gifts to his colleagues whom he has not even known for long and wanted them to see my name on the front of each book, which of course is also his surname.

Perhaps this balances out a little our eleven-year-old grandson’s perspective of his nanna, whom he often delights to tease by calling me ‘just as old lady’! I have pointed out to him more than once that, while I may not know much about the amazing computer-oriented things he knows, I have other strengths. I also have a couple of university degrees, as well as a couple of diplomas, but they, of course, mean little to him at this stage – and neither do the ten books I have written. Yet underneath it all, I know he loves and values me, if the warm hugs he gives me at times are anything to go by. And I hope and pray he will continue to value me, the older he becomes.

Some may argue that Christians should show more humility than this and that we are not to look to others to boost our self-esteem or feed our vanity. Recently, I heard of an instance where someone was asked to name something they feel they do well. They refused to because they seemed to think that would be showing too much pride in themselves and their achievements. Yet surely it is wise to know what we do well so we can live and serve in a way that brings joy to ourselves and others, as well as glory to God? And surely we can do this without becoming too puffed up with pride as we remember who gave us the gifts we have?

Surely too, we can seek to mirror to others something at least of the value our heavenly Father places on each one of us. Psalm 139 states that God knows us intimately and is always there, watching over us. Then on one occasion, Jesus reassured his disciples with the following words:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  Matthew 10:29–31

Above all, however, we see just how much more God values us above those sparrows when we remember how Jesus came to earth for our sakes and paid the ultimate price to save us.

We are indeed loved and valued. May we in turn love and value others too.

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Mixed feelings

I wonder if you have ever prepared something well ahead of time but then, as the moment to present it to others approached, had serious doubts about what you have made. Perhaps it was a cake for a special occasion or a piece of artwork or a talk you had been asked to give. We can become so excited about and engrossed in something we ourselves have created. We may initially even feel it has turned out just as we wanted it to. But as time passes, all sorts of niggling doubts may enter our minds, and our confidence and joy in what we have created may speedily disappear.

Recently, I completed proofreading my current non-fiction manuscript, Swansong: Start creating your legacy of life-giving words today, and duly returned it to the publisher, Authentic Media UK, where it will be compared with another proofreader’s work, then returned to me for one final check. I wrote this manuscript over a few months last year, then read and refined it many times before sending off the first three chapters to the publisher. Subsequently, I enjoyed an online interview with the general manager there. She suggested I add reflection questions at the end of each chapter which I did. Then I sent the manuscript to her again, after much reading and revising.

A couple of months later, I joyfully signed a contract with Authentic. Then, after applying their particular house style throughout the manuscript in such areas as spelling, punctuation and layout of biblical references, I sent it off to them again to be edited. When I received it back, I of course had to read through the manuscript again, find all the suggested changes and add a few more of my own, then return it to them.

The manuscript was then put in layout format, ready for publication, and I eventually received it back recently for proofreading. Can you perhaps imagine how I felt by that stage, however, as I read through my whole manuscript yet again?  Because I had already done this so many times, I began to question the entire contents. On top of that, with each page now set out clearly in layout format, little errors we had all missed seemed to pop out from nowhere, shaking my confidence even more. 

What mixed feelings I had at that point! What could I do – apart from tell my lovely publishers we may have all made a big mistake?

In the end, I decided it was a matter of whose voice I chose to listen to – the discouraging voice of the enemy, bent on sowing seeds of doubt everywhere, or the loving, encouraging voice of God. I turned to my Bible and, on the page where it lay open that day, read the following, along with many other strong, encouraging words:

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.
With your help I can advance against a troop;
    with my God I can scale a wall. Psalm 18:26–27

Whenever we spend time creating something we hope will bless others, may we all remember to hand any challenging doubts and mixed feelings that may assail us over to God, our Almighty Enabler. We can do it with God – we can indeed advance and scale that wall, whatever its shape and size!

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In God’s image

We have a lovely neighbour, a little, white-haired lady with bright blue eyes and a warm smile. She is now ninety-nine years old and still walks her dog twice a day, whatever the weather. She loves to stop and chat and, during one of our conversations, I discovered she is an artist. She told me how she studied at the National Art School but then trained for a ‘real job’ as a nurse. After living in London for some years, she returned to Sydney and became a member of the Royal Art Society, which opened many doors for her into the art world.

I listened with great interest, but still had trouble envisaging this little lady as an accomplished artist—until I saw some of her paintings on display recently. They covered a wonderfully wide variety of styles and subject matter from mountain and bushland scenes to close-ups of plants and flowers to portraits of the human form. As I viewed them, I could not help marvelling at how so much creativity could exist within this one little lady, my elderly neighbour.

That same day, I happened to sit in front of a gracious, older man at church who also lives near us. He is in his eighties, speaks softly now and supports his tall frame with the aid of a stick. But as we began to sing during our time of worship, to my surprise, I could hear him joining in with his beautiful, clear, tenor voice that belied his years. Later, someone told me this man was deeply involved in music and worship in the denomination he was previously part of and well-known for his expertise in this area. Again, I marvelled at the wonderful creativity and giftedness within my elderly friend that still peeks through, despite his years.

Not long after this, I had an interesting conversation with a group of women at another church. As we chatted, they discovered I am a writer.

‘What sort of books do you write?’ one lady asked in an incredulous tone.

I explained how I have written both fiction and non-fiction and told her a little more about my books. Yet her doubt still seemed obvious.

‘Oh,’ she said, ‘but are your books Christian? Are they in Koorong? I’ve never heard of you!’

I answered her as politely as I could. After all, she was only being honest—and, because of my own experiences with my two elderly friends, I could appreciate how difficult it might be to believe I could be creative enough to write ten books. Yet I also cringed a little, because Scripture clearly tells us that, whoever we are, we are all formed in the image of God, the ultimate Creator.

So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

In the natural world around us, we see endless diversity, colour, intricacy and power, all brought into being by our amazing, creative God. Surely then, each one of us, whether we believe it or not, must have something at least of this same wonderful creativity within us.

What a privilege to mirror God’s own image to others in creative ways—and what a challenge too to shine forth that image as best we can, whatever our age!

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When names matter

I wonder if you have ever spotted a misspelt word on the cover of a book. It can a little off-putting, can’t it? After all, if the publisher or author makes such mistakes on the cover, what will the inside of the book be like?

On the other hand, perhaps such things do not bother you but, because I am a writer and have also edited quite a few books others have written, they jar on me. Can you imagine then how I felt when I was recently emailed the proposed cover of my own latest non-fiction book, complete with not one but two spelling mistakes on it – including one in my own name? I understand how such mistakes could occur but am certainly thankful there is still time to rectify them before that cover appears anywhere for real.

This whole event caused me to think again about the importance of names and of getting them correct. Then around the same time, in reading through Matthew’s gospel, I happened to arrive at Matthew 16 where Jesus asks his disciples a key question:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’

They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’

 ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’

Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Matthew 16:13–16

What an amazing declaration! Jesus’s response that follows shows that, while he knows his heavenly Father revealed these truths to Simon Peter, he is also delighted that Simon Peter sees him for who he truly is (17–20). Some Bible versions use the word ‘Christ’ instead of the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’, but both mean ‘the anointed one’, the one chosen to deliver God’s people – and both are still true of Jesus today. So I asked myself then how well I am doing at acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, in my own life right now. Do I too honour him and truly lift up his name in all I do and say and write?

The following day, in an online devotional I also use, we were asked to reflect on this same passage and answer the same question Jesus asked Simon Peter. Then we were invited to think about how Jesus has revealed himself to us personally and how we have experienced his presence with us. I thought back then to the many times Jesus has shown me who he is through Scripture, through words and pictures spoken directly to me by his Spirit and also through others. But I also realised even as I did that Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of the living God, was delighted to be right there with me in that moment, loving me and encouraging me just as he did with Simon Peter.

What an amazing Saviour we have! It may not matter in the long run if my own name is spelt wrongly or dishonoured in some way, but it does indeed matter if Jesus’ name is dishonoured. May you and I lift his name high each day and give him all the glory he so rightly deserves.

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