New Season

Well, I'm finally beginning something I've wanted to do for a very long time.  Since this is a new season in my life, it seems right to be writing a blog now.

Although I've always believed I had the talent to be a writer and the dream to become an author, my offerings have been few over the years.  School English classes were heaven to me and I loved writing assignments.  It wasn't as hard to start as it was to stop!  Word count limits were my only stopping point, thankfully for the teachers.  I know the bonus of good grades on my compositions were the encouragement I needed to keep on writing, but when I wrote it felt like I couldn't NOT write.  It was something I had to do, because it was such a real part of who I was.  I found real joy in writing.

It wasn't so much the ability to express my thoughts and feelings, as it was the fun of the words, giving readers the pictures of what I was saying.  I loved letters, words, sentences, even punctuation!  (Exclamation points are my favourite!!!)

Once school days were behind me, my choices in life meant that my work wasn't with words.  I dabbled in my spare time with letters to editors and magazine articles, poems in cards to family and friends, but nothing serious.  Later years brought opportunities to physically work with words as a typesetter, then as an editorial assistant on a magazine.  I did have opportunities to write articles and reviews, as well as doing some editing and lots of proofreading.  However, the elusive 'book' was just that - elusive.

I didn't realise it during those years, but all of the experiences of life were formulating into material for this time when I can now begin 'serious' writing.  Is blogging serious?  Yes, I believe it is - I have been inspired and helped and encouraged and moved by the blogs of people I now count as friends, even though I don't know all of them personally.  To be able to touch someone emotionally, mentally, spiritually through what is written is a real gift - so, yes, blogging is serious writing.

Why call myself 'Ready Writer'?  It comes from Psalm 45:1, which says, ". . . my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."  Nothing encourages me more to write than the Word of God.  If what I read and what I hear preached and taught from the Bible causes me to speak and write in order to share it with as many people as I can, then I am indeed a 'Ready Writer'!  My daily walk with Jesus is filled with words: prayers, thoughts, reading, listening to God.  All of these words can be shared, simply to encourage those who may read them to also pray, think, read, listen for themselves, so that they, too, can rejoice in their relationship with the Word Himself - Jesus.

I may not have a handle yet on the working of blog layouts, photos, etc., but I will gradually learn how to make this blog more eye-appealing.  However, for now, I just have to get the WORDS out there, and in doing that, share THE WORD, JESUS, with you who read this.  He is the reason I write, and I write for His glory, not my own.  This is my prayer, that those who read will also share, so that more and more will come to know Him, Who to know is eternal life!

BarbieJ