THE ENCOURAGERS LIFE

  Details of the book referenced in this article will be listed at the end.   As I rolled around my back garden, developing games with my child, I never could have predicted the depth they would also bring to my walk through life.   My story of Hip Hooray and Robot Ray sailing the sea only to be eaten by a whale, involves, in every moment, the backpack that Hip carries with her on their journey.   Even though he has grown up. My child and I still play the game. We still sing the song. We still talk about the story. And most recently the backpack has become a focus of our deeper discussions.   I was surprised and humbled that God had made His way into a funny song and story. Making me see that He is part of the story.   In the book, the backpack is something they open up when they face troubles. The backpack is something they carry wherever they go. They rely on the backpack always. Much like how Christians rely on God. ...

When I began my writing journey I literally had no idea where and how to start. In fact it took an entire year before I had enough knowledge to try to put pen to paper. English wasn’t my strongest subject at school and I remember coming up with ideas, but I could not get words down on a page without a struggle.  Which would then lead to be getting tired and then the project would end there. I went from genre to genre and in the end found my first success in the games I played with my child. The games became songs and the songs became stories. This marker made it possible for me to get from idea, to writing, to finished piece. After completing a piece I was able to see the value of four tips that I have continued to use daily in my writing journey. I hope it gets you started and lays a foundation for success.  You might even find something that works for you along the way or something that you can tweak. Tip 1. Read Reading other people's work is the hugest tip I can give ...

From the tiny body, that occupied the seat at the kitchen table, came one of the loudest grunts I have ever heard in my life.  It was homework time, and while they aren't the most stressful thing... yet, my young child looked frustrated while tapping furiously at my device. He had got one wrong on his quiz. Never mind the amazing score of correct answers he achieved, he was annoyed at the ONE question that caught him out. As I reasoned with him that it was ok to get things wrong and make a mistake, he replied with a sentence that echoed in my very soul. "But I don't want to make mistakes." In that moment I saw myself in him. I remembered standing in front of my friend after church just pouring myself out to her and explaining, through tears and snot I may add, that I just wanted to be good. I have made many wrong turns in my life. I have went against my instinct when it came to relationships. I have been mean from time to time. I have wrestled with feelings of anger a...