I’m Getting Back to the Heart of Writing

The worship song “I’m getting back to the heart of Worship” keeps playing through my mind, but with different words.

“I’m getting back to the heart of writing and it’s all about You all about You Jesus. I’m sorry for the thing I’ve made it. “Cause it’s all about you. All about you, Jesus.”

I don’t know how the words strike you, but they’re powerful to me. When I started on this fiction writing journey over fifteen years ago I was writing for Jesus. It was all about him, especially since I was writing the story of his life. A fictional tale of a boy growing up during Jesus’ ministry.

Every time I sat down at the computer to write I felt God’s presence. Researching Biblical history drew me closer to Jesus, and I not only grew in my relationship with Him, but I saw his life and sacrifice from a whole new perspective.

(For example, did you know the Romans crucified people without their clothes on. No loin cloths. Completely in the buff! Did you also know that to a Jew one of the biggest forms of humiliation was to be seen naked? Now apply that to the sacrifice Jesus made by dying on the cross.)

Jesus was the reason I started writing, but some where along the way (when Biblical fiction had no chance of selling) I lost my focus on the reason I was writing and set my sights on the prize. Publication.

If you’d like to read all about my journey from publication driveness read my first post and go from there. It’s been an amazing deliverance for me from obsessing about being published to having a completely relaxed attitude about it and reliance on God’s timing. I hate to say it, but sometimes in trying to learn my craft and getting deep into edits and going to conferences and talking with agents, I lose my focus.

It’s that time of year again for me to refocus on why I write. It’s all about Jesus. What’s it all about for you?