Writing Exercise #7 ~ of 20

Examining my posts and what your over 2000 views have been geared to reading, the writing exercises have been something that have generated quite a few visits. (Thanks!)  I promise to keep writing them if you'll add to my joy by commenting back!  My goal is to write at least one a month until I get to 20, and it's great to be at number seven already.  Woo hoo...


My current project is helping my 11-yr-old daughter write her first news story. She's been interviewing staff at church about their work in Haiti.  The kid's perspective is so rich!  It's a blessed day to be written about by a child (or illustrated for that matter).


What struck me in helping my daughter is how difficult it is to get past the obvious when we write.  In reviewing the parable of the sower from Matthew, Ch. 13, I remembered how many times the passage seemingly added depth to its meaning. The same message was written all along, but I was paying attention to different things, and of course, the root of my communication with God is through the words of scripture. He knows what I need to hear when. See how about thirty sentences drew me in...

1)  One of the earliest exposures I had to this passage was in reference to verse 11 (Matt. Ch. 13), and how Jesus says He's giving away the secret of heaven.  Wow - a secret!!!!


2)  The second impression was that if the seed is planted in good soil, it is known through the multiplication that happens.  Verse 23 mentions a crop upwards of 100, 60 or 30 times what was originally planted.  At this point, I made my list of friends where I felt my love and faithfulness had made a dime's worth of difference...I knew it could extend further than the names I'd count, yet I also understood that I needed to think about my influence on others, and whether it was pleasing to my closest Friend.


I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  John 15:15


3)  My lingering thoughts have to do with what happens when the seed doesn't thrive.  It's a person who doesn't understand!  It's a person who worries about their life and their money or is discouraged by the grind of life!  What stinkin' distractions, right?  In reading through verses 19-22 again, I'm desiring to help those stuck in confusion.  It's too easy for a seed to be choked out, stolen or wither, and I know the Lord wants to use me as a protector of those seeds of faith.


This example has taken me deeper into one main idea, but the temptation is to just go with what's clear, taking in something on the surface level. BUT it's the layers underneath that get someone's imagination going.  If a reader isn't trying to visualize in their pretty little heads the illustration I'm describing or digging deeper on their own into the topic, than either they don't have a similar vibe as I do or I've failed to connect through my descriptions.  

So, here comes the exercise. With your own subject matter, make a few observations...describe what you learn, share it with an outside reader and see if their imagination kicked in!  


Did what you wrote get them talking?  A lot???  I sure hope so!

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