Let's spur one another on...

We adopted a special Bible verse for the 2023 Southern Christian Writers Conference, and its words continue to inspire and convict us as we reflect on the wonderful experience we had together as fellow writers earlier this Summer.

Hebrews 10:23-24 instructs us to "hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" and to then "consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

In prayerfully considering what our 2023 conference verse should be, I was taken back to the goal and aim of the SCWC to begin with. The conference was started more than three decades ago by my parents David and Joanne Sloan with the clear intention to provide writers with quality information to help them lean into their calling, and to also encourage them in their calling. In essence, they wanted--and we still want--to let our members and participants know that they can hold onto the hope they have in Christ as writers, and that we will be there to spur them on toward love and good deeds through their writing.

Let's consider a few of the words in these verses, and look at how we can apply them to our writing life. (For if we are writers and writing is an important part of our lives, we should apply these words not just to our life in the church or our life when we are going through difficult times or the parts of our life that we somehow think the Bible applies to...but in EVERY PART of our life. If writing is important to us, then we can apply Biblical truths to it.)

I am struck by...

Unswervingly

This is a powerful word. We don't give up; we aren't sidetracked; we don't become despondent. We hold tight to our hope in an UNSWERVING manner. That is the goal, at least. As writers we can easily become discouraged when things aren't going well (when you aren't inspired, perhaps; or you listen to the voice that tells you you'll never get published;  or when you are having trouble meeting a deadline; or when other "non writing" struggles take away your joy for the pen). in the midst of challenges, we have a strong hope that can push us forward.

Spur one another

Whenever I have taken spiritual gifts tests or other personality tests, one of my gifts and strengths is always revealed as encouragement. I've always found it easy to be an encourager; when I read once that telling someone "thank you" can make a huge difference in their day, I decided to always thank people who are often forgotten (servers, those who work behind the scenes). When my three daughters were young I often instructed them to look beyond how another person may act or even what they may say; when ugly attitudes words come out of others' mouths, I challenged them to think about why those people may be acting out. Could there be something going on in that person's life that is making them act or speak in a certain way? While there are obvious exceptions, this is oftentimes the case; and sometimes those people need a kind word of encouragement to change things. I would also tell you to be an encourager to your fellow creatives. Writers need to be encouraged; they need to be told that their writing matters. While the SCWC is also founded on the idea that we all need to learn and get better (encouragement doesn't take away the fact that writers need to improve in their skills), criticism and instruction can be done in a spirit of encouragement.

Love and good deeds

I had a very dear pastor friend and mentor of mine pass away last month, and whenever I think of Brother Jack I think of the word "love." His sermons always started and ended with love; you always knew what message you were going to hear when you came to listen to him on Sunday morning. He would remind you of God's love for you, and instruct you to lead with love in every situation and with each person you might meet. If you're a writer of faith, might I encourage you to follow Brother Jack's instructions? Write--whether it's Christian fiction, secular fiction, how-to magazine articles, blog posts, whatever!--knowing that you have a voice that can provide valuable instruction and an important message. (Also remember to be loving towards other writers. What a gift you can give to fellow writers when you do so!)

I'm blessed to be your Southern Christian Writers Conference coordinator, and am grateful that I get to continue the good work that my parents started many years ago. Please know that this Bible verse is my own personal adage as I look toward the future of the SCWC and plan activities and events for the upcoming months and years. I try to always keep encouragement and love in the forefront of our plans.

Thank you for attending this year's Southern Christian Writers Conference...and let's look forward to the future with expectation.