By Grace D. Chong, Philippines
Writing is a calling that is both happy and lonely.
That statement seems to oversimplify my writing quotient. Let me illustrate through my own emotional pie chart. Writing is 100% grace, sliced into 96% happy and only 4% lonely—but that small number could be lethal.
Imagine my excitement, then, when I was told that Media Associates International (MAI), in partnership with Armour Publishing, has published the book Light for the Writer’s Soul: 100 devotions by global Christian writers.
This, I thought, would take care of my aberrant 4%.
Written by contributing writers (of which I am privileged to be a part) from 27 countries, and illustrated by award-winning French artist and illustrator Didier Millotte, this book I would liken to sunburst on a cloudy day. The stories illumine and inflame all at once.
According to MAI, and I agree, “It is ideal for personal devotions of writers and would-be writers, especially those in hard places in the world; a resource in writers groups; workshops; and in mentoring Christian writers.”
For the book to last me one year, I should be reading one devotional article every three days—with enough time to bask in the glow of perspectives similar to mine. But the articles so surprised and stirred me I read the whole book in one sitting!
Much of the personal pain—conflicts, complications, dilemmas, obstacles, and yes, loneliness—of varied writers from varied backgrounds kindled my interest and indeed lit up my soul.
I now know that the Lord beams His Word in different ways upon different writers, but our responses are set at different timelines. In the end, and always, the fire to write overwhelms the temptation to stop.
If you are reading this far, I assure you that this book will help stoke your (or a friend’s) love for the printed word and keep it burning. For a copy of the book, contact MAI or in Singapore, Armour Publishing.
Without doubt, the book is a light, switched on for the writer’s soul.
Grace D. Chong is an award-winning Filipina author of more than 50 adult and children’s books. This article was first published on her blog, Leaves of Grace.