Of Mentors, Voices & What comes 'After this...'

Feeling the need to step out of the grind of politics for a few moments, friends. It does get rather grueling, no? Let's switch gears...

I am taking a delightful writing course taught by author Susan Woodring. In one of her recent blog posts she posed questions, "Who is your writing mentor? Have you ever met him/her?" After knocking this around, I offered a comment: "Distilling my answer to 2 'mentors,' they'd be Peggy Noonan and Beth Moore . Peggy for her deceptively 'easy' style that holds such beautiful wisdom, & Beth for the way my spirit responds to her 'teaching.' Wow."

While I've met neither of these women, I have had a snail-mail exchange with Beth Moore, because it was essential that she know how the Holy Spirit spoke to me through her. See, this piece of writing came to me partly as a result of her ministry. I sent her the following letter, along w/ a copy of that piece:

Dear Beth,

It was me.

We’re doing your Revelation series. Last week we viewed session 4 during which you quote Rev. 4:1. You stopped, looked into the camera and said, “‘After this…’ Somebody needs to hear this today: there is an ‘after this.’ You do not have to stay where you are.”

That somebody was me. I needed to hear those exact words from my Father, to be assured that ‘this too shall pass,’ there is an ‘after this.’

Beth, this ‘season’ has been a very difficult one for me...[ed. for personal content]

So. Here I am. I know that I know that our Lord is working. And then I wonder, ‘Will I ever move from here? Will I ever be free of it?’ And then I hear your voice saying, “Somebody needs to hear this today: there is an ‘After this.’” Imagine my surprise at such a clear & direct answer to this intensely personal question! Beth, thank you for your sensitivity to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, & for repeating His words: ‘After this…’

I’m sure others needed to be assured that with the Lord there’s always an ‘after this…’. But I am convinced that one was in a Methodist church on 2-23-2010. And it was me. And I heard, & I know that there is an ‘after this…’ Thanks be to God!

Jesus loves us, this we know...

A few weeks later I received a lovely letter from "Nancy," of Living Proof Ministries . Because of the scope of Mrs. Moore's influence, I did not expect to hear from her. Noting the personal, specific nature of Nancy's response, I know that Mrs. Moore had, indeed, heard from me. That was all I was after.

Back to 'writing': Mentoring is not about the celebrity of another person, it's about using their influence to help 'hear the voice.' As Mrs. Woodring has said, "I can't begin a story until I hear its voice."

Indeed.

And for me so far, the 'voice' shows up in odd & surprising places: like when conversing with my holly bushes, or when someone I'll never meet stops on a dime at a prepositional phrase.

I don't know where my story is going, but I know there is a Voice, & I am listening.

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"1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." ~ Rev. 4:1

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In which Peggy Noonan Speaks Truth.

Some of you know I've been writing for years, but never really knew I was a writer. Here's a handwritten piece I found from May 2001, though I could have penned it yesterday. Humor me?

5-30-2001:

"So I'm reading this book by Peggy Noonan. Those who know me well, know that I'm a real fan. Only this book - Simply Speaking - is relatively mundane, or so I'm thinking. After all, it's a book about speech writing...

So, I'm reading along, enjoying her easy style, underlining points that I find interesting & smart. And then I am deeply touched & moved...Here's why I'm such a fan (Simply Speaking, p. 53):

'I think that to achieve true adulthood is to understand the simplicity of things. We're locked in a funny arc, most of us, in terms of what we know. When you're goony and fourteen years old you think the most important thing in life is love. Then you mature, become more sober & thoughtful, and realize the most important thing in life is achieving, leaving your mark - making breakthroughs in the field of science, or winning an Academy Award in recognition of a serious body of work, or creating security for yourself and your family through having a good house and sending your kids to good schools. And then you get old and realize...that most important thing in life is love. Giving love to others and receiving it from God. All the rest, the sober thoughtful things, are good and constructive...but love is the thing. The rest is just more or less what you were doing between fourteen and wisdom.'

And that out of a book about speech writing."

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...in which Peggy Noonan speaks the truth.

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