Conference Reflection by Terry Burns!

Greetings, Folks!

One of the things I like best about the CLASS Christian Writers Conference is that attendees don’t just learn a lot of practical information about writing, and don’t just get the opportunity to meet with many of the top agents, editors, and publishers in the Christian publishing industry (although that alone would be worth the price of the conference!).  

The conference also serves as a spiritual renewal, with morning devotions, evening worship music, free time for prayer and meditation in a beautiful setting, and top-notch keynote speakers.  I have personally benefited from this portion of the conference, and will be writing about my experiences in coming weeks. 

One of many gorgeous sights at the Ghost Ranch

(photo courtesy Saundra Burns)

This week, though, I am happy to include a “conference reflection” by one of my favorite cowboys, Terry Burns.  Terry is an author with over 30 books in print, among them ten novels; he has also written numerous articles and short stories.  In addition to his prolific writing career, Terry also serves as an agent with Hartline Literary Agency.  You can find him online at terryburns.net.

Enjoy, and God Bless!

Lawrence

Conference Reflection

By Terry Burns

For a person who wants to be, professes to be, or IS a Christian writer, the single most important question is this, "Has God called me to write or do I want to write and offer it to Him?" What's the difference? Sounds the same, but it isn't. One is an offering from us to God. We initiate it. If we are genuinely called to write, He will initiate it. If He does, then it is an assigned task and an obligation, and we must be acutely aware that God always finishes what He starts.

If we accept the premise that there is a difference, then how do we know which is which? For a Christian writer the starting point is always prayer. If we pray, "I want to write for you, Lord, is it ok?" or any similar utterance, we are holding out an offering, pure and simple. It will undoubtedly be accepted and will be pleasing to God, but will clearly be a gift from us.

Determining if we have been called to write is much harder. It still has to start with prayer, but we can't dictate terms to God. We must start with something along the lines of "Show me what you would have me do, Lord." An open-ended question, then we must prepare our hearts and mind to receive the answer.

Terry Burns reading cowboy poetry at

2010 CLASS Christian Writers Conference

(photo courtesy Saundra Burns)

I was conflicted with exactly this timeless writing question. I prayed that God would tell me what to do. No strings, no "is this what you want?" Just asked Him to reveal His will. The mail came shortly after that and I got a brochure from a week long writing conference in Glorieta, New Mexico. Coincidence or circumstances? I thought coincidence even though later when I checked no one could tell me how my name came to be on the mailing list.

No matter. It cost too much to go, I couldn't do it. Then my wife came home and I told her about it.  She got a funny look on her face. An audit at work had produced a payment for some unreimbursed overtime. She had a check neither of us had expected or counted on for the exact amount needed to go to the conference. Coincidence, or circumstances?

The pastor gave a sermon on special gifts (church), and the subject started popping up in Sunday school and our Bible reading. A half dozen other things I won't go into occurred. Finally I said, "I get it, Lord, I'm going."

At Glorieta they knew how to lead the way through the next logical step in the process. We were taken through an exercise designed to help us identify our special gifts. Not surprisingly, mine were encouragement and writing. Corroboration, but still did not distinguish between an offering and being called.

They were prepared for that, too. I had been to a number of writing seminars, courses, and conferences, but not a Christian conference. Prayer, consulting the Bible, and interface with people of faith all played as strong a role as the actual discussion and study of the craft of writing. I knew by now that I would use my words for God as best as I could, but did not know on whose initiative I was to do it. To be truthful I rather hoped it was on my own initiative, far less responsibility and pressure.

It didn't work out that way. God used all of the sources during the week to convict me and convince me that the call was sincere. But I was only a fiction writer, and was not qualified to do it. Then I learned the next big difference between the two. If it was an offering, then it would be made out of my own skill and ability. If God was assigning me the task, He would see that my ability, skill and even character was molded to fit the requirements.

A cookie-cutter recipe for success as a Christian writer? No, I'm certainly not qualified to offer that, but I do think it is a good example of the proper process. Let me be clear, however, that there is nothing wrong with writing of our own accord strictly as a gift or offering. It will be joyously received.

The Glorieta Conference is the same conference that is now the CLASS Christian Writers Conference, held at the Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM. I owe them a major debt and will continue to support the conference, and attend as long as they think I can bring something to the table.

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Register Early for a HUGE Discount!

When you register and PAY IN FULL for the CLASS Christian Writers Conference by March 31, 2011, you save $150 off the regular price of $675, for a discounted price of $525.  

NOTE: registration opens March 1^st

About CLASSEMINARS

CLASSEMINARS, Inc. is the premier full service agency for established and aspiring Christian speakers, writers, leaders, and publishers. A one-of-a-kind organization, CLASS provides the complete training ground for tomorrow's spiritual leaders worldwide.  For more info on CLASS, please visit http://classeminars.org/.

The CLASS Christian Writers Conference blog is managed by Lawrence J. Clark, an author, speaker, and songwriter who frequently speaks and performs in schools, churches, and libraries throughout the United States. He is co-founder, with his wife Kristen, of HisWitness.org and NewBeginningsMarriage.org, for which he writes a regular column based on personality theory, marriage and relationships, men’s issues, and Christian living.