Episode 8: Growing into the Ministry of Writing

In Episode 8, I share about how I grew into the ministry of writing in various formats and genres.

 

(I actually recorded this episode about two weeks ago, but unexpectedly ended up in the hospital for a few days, so everything got delayed for a while. I am still very tired and trying to recover from lingering respiratory issues. Even during this recording, you can tell my voice is a little bit strained. Also please note that my Colossians Study: Read Your Bible, Read Your Life study has been postponed by a week and starts this Wednesday, July 15. Join us online!)

Near the end of the episode, I tell about my latest upcoming project, a new book! I also describe how I intend to get it done, namely by doing an independent research course in seminary as one of my electives. The professor did agree to supervise my research, and reminded me that I only need to write two papers for the class and not a whole book. However, this research will lay the groundwork for writing a solid content book, and I am free to complete as much as I want of my manuscript this fall semester too. I just submitted the final forms, reading list, and updated proposal to the seminary for the dean's approval. I don't anticipate this will be a problem. What is it about? Listen and find out! Or, just keep reading....

Here are some excerpts from my longer proposal:

I am proposing to create an independent research course for Fall 2020 on the topic of Christian spiritual formation, both classical and creative contemporary, as a means of care for women who have experienced life crisis and/or religious disillusionment. This topic, in one form or another, has been my focus of ministry for many years, as well as my goal after graduation from Asbury Seminary... During this project, I plan to research Christian spiritual formation, trauma-informed care, women’s ministry, and writing/publishing for Christian audiences. This research could include books, academic journals, personal interviews with women, and/or a writer’s conference. I will write the required two research papers. Tentatively, one will be on the spiritual needs of women in crisis, and the other will be on creative adaptations of spiritual practices for this population. I also plan to start writing a book called Pilgrimage and Jubilee: Christian Spirituality for the Wounded, Weary, Doubting, or Just Plain Stuck. This would introduce restorative classical, contemporary, and creative spiritual disciplines through the following genres: poetry, stories from women, prose instruction, and creative exercises.

And here is my tentative reading list. I am required to read 1,200-1,500 pages suitable for graduate level research, as well as whatever else I want. Since the books listed here represent more than 4,000 pages, I can skim and glean from many of these books, but I will read most of the core books all the way through.

Spiritual Crisis & Healing

Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel by Dr. David Benner

Suffering and the Heart of God: How Trauma Destroys and Christ Restores by Dr. Diane Langberg

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

Survivor Care: What Religious Professionals Need to Know about Healing Trauma by Dr. Christy Gunter Sim

Healing our Broken Humanity: Practices for Revitalizing the Church and Renewing Our World by Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Dr. Graham Hill

Rhythms of Restoration: Practicing Grief on the Path of Grace, A Field Guide of Mini-Retreats for the Hurting and Those Who Help Them by Laura Baber Beach

A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward the Undivided Life, Welcoming the Soul and Weaving Community in a Wounded World by Parker J. Palmer

Healing Together: A Guide to Supporting Sexual Abuse Survivors by Anne Marie Miller

Simple Acts of Moving Forward: 40 Suggestions for Getting Unstuck by Vinita Hampton Wright

Other Spiritual Crisis & Healing Topics: gender role issues in the church, high demand religious movements, narrative therapy, faith deconstruction & reconstruction, pastoral attitudes toward professional mental health care.

Spiritual Disciplines & Direction

Spiritual Direction: A Guide to Giving and Receiving Direction by Dr. Gordon T. Smith

The Making of an Ordinary Saint: My Journey from Frustration to Joy with the Spiritual Disciplines by Nathan Foster

The Celebration of Discipline: A Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster

The Workbook Keeping Company with the Saints by Dr. Maxie Dunnam

The Flowing Grace of Now: Encountering Wisdom through the Weeks of the Year by Sister Macrina Wiederkehr

Sacred Rhythms: Arranging our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton

A Diary of Readings edited by John Baillie

Other Spiritual Disciplines Reading Topics:  Hildegarde, Madame Guyon

Spiritual Writing

The Art of Spiritual Writing: How to Craft Prose That Engages and Inspires Your Readers by Vinita Hampton Wright

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity and Writing by L.L. Barkat

Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination, and Spirit by Luci Shaw

Other Spiritual Writing Topics: Christian writer’s conferences and critique groups, publishing process. 

_______________________________

Here is the poem which will start the book.

"Pilgrimage and Jubilee"
by Virginia Knowles, 2013

It’s been a long road
And I’ve traveled the valley of the shadow.
But I write as a free woman
Still with earthy bonds, yes
But able to rise above and go beyond.

We are called to the dignity of the Image of God.
We are called to walk the path of peace and glory.
We are called to hear the holy echo:
"Proclaim liberty throughout the land!"
So let us rise, strong and free.

Mine is the story of pilgrimage and jubilee.

_______________________________

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

Episode 7: Growing in Time Management

Episode 7: Growing in Time Management





Do you have challenges in managing your time, whether it is in ministry or beyond? Let's think about a sensible framework for planning schedules while leaving flexibility for the unexpected. 

Quick recap of the time management framework:

1. Morning, midday, and evening routines
2. Scheduled commitments
3. Big and medium projects
4. Random little things that can fit in around the others
5. Buffer time for the unexpected

Here are some of the resources I mentioned in this episode.

Lectio365 is the prayer app I like to listen to at night as I am getting ready to sleep. I do this on my phone, but their web site has so many other prayer resources that it's worth a long look too. 

Trello is a project management program that I use to organize my seminary assignments and other complex tasks. I can use it as a phone app or on my laptop. On the laptop, I can copy and paste assignments and web links from Canvas, which is where they are assigned by Asbury. These are screenshots from the phone app of a list called Asbury Assignments, and then a checklist within a card called Week 2 Assignments. Note that I put links to those assignments right within the check list. You will also see on the left hand screenshot that 8 of the 12 assignments for the Week 2 Assignments card have been completed and that I have read 5 of 5 chapters of my Practical Theology text. Each card can also have a due date.

Google Keep is a program, also available for app and computer, which allows you to create all sorts of lists. I turn on the check box function and the nest the lists under several sections. Here are screenshots of parts of my Monday list from a few weeks ago. I copy my master list for each day of the week on the day I need it, then customize it for that day. There might be a particular errand or task that I need to do that day. Or I can move a priority task up into that top section if I want to do it in a certain sequence and make sure that it is seen and accomplished. When I finish an item, I just tap it to check it off, and then it moves automatically to the bottom of the list. That gives me a record of what I actually did that day. The cute emojis keep me extra motivated.

FYI, on Money Monday, as seen above, I make sure everything is in order with my financial accounts. 

I use Google Sheets to track and project my internship hours. This is a cropped slice of my document as seen on my phone. Note that each week has totals, and there is a running total of hours from week to week.

Did you see the Sing item in my Google Keep screenshot? Yes, I honestly do tell myself to sing each day! I recently saw that reminder, grabbed the nearest hymnal (I keep a few next to my reading chair), and found a lovely  vintage hymn called "God We Praise" that I had never seen before. Now I can't get the melody out of my head... I'll end this blog post with the chorus: "Great and holy, is the Lord of all, daily guiding where his blessings sweetly fall. Love and mercy crown our earthly ways. Gladly, gladly, God we praise."

Bless y'all!

Virginia