faith

Finding Hope in Weary Seasons

January 13, 2022 by Ann Leave a Comment

Do you feel weary or worn down right now?

After the holidays are over, it’s temptingly easy for me to slide into a post-celebration slump. The skies where we live are perpetually gray, the ground is frozen solid, and the buzz and glimmer of celebrating the holidays with family and friends have come to a grinding halt. The thrill of the new year has trickled into a predictable routine, and compared to just a month ago, there is so little to look forward to. My soul is tired and worn down. Everything just feels dreary.

But I’ve circled the sun enough times now to know myself and to know this particular battle that I face—a battle to find joy and contentment in Christ in every season. I think this is the same struggle that many of us face as the calendar flips over. And while I’ve invested in a good sunshine therapy lamp to help ward off the winter darkness, the deeper and more important work is what I must do, practically, to tend to my soul this time of year.

Read the rest of the article here, at Well Watered Women!

Filed Under: God, Guest Post, Life, Writing Tagged With: Ann Swindell, Christ's hope, Christian author, faith, feel dreary, help in weariness, I feel discouraged, I need hope, need encouragement, post holiday blues, reading the Bible, weary season, well watered women

God is Faithful, Even When Nothing Changes

October 27, 2020 by Ann 1 Comment

In the week after my husband lost his job, I remember the feeling of desperation that crept in at night. I would lie awake in bed, wondering how we were going to make it, financially and practically.

My husband was sending out his resume and applying for positions; he was making calls and networking. But as the weeks piled up, he still had no job offers. I felt overwhelmed every time I thought about our future and how we wanted — and needed — to provide for our children. Emotions in our home ran high.

Nothing changed.

After three months of the same, I felt helpless. I tried to insist that Michael apply more places and send out more copies of his resume. But as the options for job opportunities narrowed down to almost nothing, my husband became clear in his conviction that it was time for us to wait on the Lord rather than pushing ahead with anything we could manufacture on our own.

Read the entire article here, at (in)courage!

Filed Under: God, Guest Post, Life, Marriage Tagged With: faith, how will God provide, How will Jesus provide, I need God's provision, I need life to get better, Jesus, nothing is changing, what do I do when God doesn't answer my prayer, writing for incourage

Why Fiction Writing Matters in the Kingdom of God

July 1, 2020 by Ann Leave a Comment

It’s a truth I come back to over and over again: God created the human heart to resonate with story. We love to see a hero vanquish a villain, and we love to see a character reach her goal. Hallmark movies have off-the-charts audiences because we always know there’s a happy ending–and we want there to be one. Why? Because whether we realize it or not, we are all part of the epic story of the Kingdom of God—one that started in a garden and will end in a heavenly city.

It will end in victory for God’s people, with joy in His presence.

We long for happy endings because we were made for one. Thankfully, through Christ, we have the best ending we could ever dream of. It’s the best news we could ever imagine!

And for those of us who are writers, often we want to participate in telling the Truest Story through smaller stories–fiction stories. But how does writing fiction connect with the mission of God’s Kingdom on earth? It’s an honest question and one worth answering: why write fiction? And why write Christian fiction—stories that point our readers back to ultimate Truth?

Especially now, in a world that’s riddled with pain and fear, what good can fiction do for people who are asking big questions and struggling to make it through the day?

Fiction can do a world of good.

Think of the stories that have touched you deeply. These stories stay with us because they called us to something better—to something hopeful.

When we write fiction, we get to participate in this beautiful arc of narrative that is already written on the human heart and in the great epic of history. We get to point our readers to hope, and love, and Truth.

That’s why fiction matters—perhaps now more than ever. When readers are struggling, good fiction points them to the things that are worth getting out of bed for—it reminds them why life is valuable and treasured. It reminds them that there is a God who loves them, and that He has a plan and purpose for their lives.

That’s why, for the first time, I’m teaching the Writing with Grace: Fiction Writing Workshop. Registration is open through July 30th, and you can save 10% on the cost of the course by using the code WORTHIT, just for being a blog reader.

So even if you’ve never written fiction before, maybe this is your nudge to try. What stories are in your heart?

And if you’ve been writing fiction for years, maybe this is your opportunity to take your story-writing to the next level and share what’s been burning inside of you forever.

I hope that you’ll come and join me as we write stories with and for the Lord, aiming to point the hearts of our readers to Truth and hope and joy.

This world needs your story.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Ann Swindell, faith, fiction writing, how do I write a fiction story, how do I write a novel, Jesus and writing, Writing, writing class, writing for Christ's glory, writing for Christian publications, Writing with grace, writing workshop

The One Resolution that Changes Everything

January 5, 2018 by Ann 1 Comment

I’m not the type of person who is usually motivated by goals, and New Year’s resolutions tend to fall under this category for me. But there is one type of resolution I made a decade a ago that has utterly transformed my life.

I aim to spend time with Jesus every single day.

Of course, there are days when life gets a little too wild and I don’t manage to set time aside for the Lord, but by and large, I spend time with him every day of the week, every week of the year. I don’t say this because I’m fantastic; I say this because I’m a broken and sinful person, desperately in need of the healing and love of Christ every single day. It’s spiritual life and death for me; spending time with Jesus is the only thing that keeps me hopeful, kind, and loving—because he is hopeful, kind, and loving. When I spend time with him, I become more like him, and that is what I need most of all.

When it comes to getting time reading the Word, praying, and journaling, I’m committed to spending daily time with Jesus because I’ve discovered that more than time and money, more than romance and entertainment, more than fame and Facebook, Jesus is worth everything. Absolutely everything. He holds time in his hands and he, himself, is everything of value. He is the deepest love and the richest reward. He is the only famous one and the friend of all. He is the prize. He is the treasure. He is the King.

When I spend time with him, I become more like him, and that is what I need most of all. Share on X

And I have been given the gift of not only being saved from my sin but also of being healed from the inside out by his love and mercy and grace. Spending time with him is a deep privilege. Knowing him is an opportunity greater than any offered on this earth.

It’s worth it, to me, to spend daily time with Jesus, because at the end of all days, Jesus is all that I will have. I want to live my time here on earth knowing him, learning his heart, staying captivated by his goodness and his truth. I don’t want to be surprised when I finally meet him face-to-face. I want to know this Savior I follow as much as I can here on earth.

Spending time with the Lord doesn’t have to look any particular way; for me, it involves reading the Bible, journaling my prayers, and often, singing songs of praise to him. But there are many ways to spend time with Jesus, and you may need to mix up your normal routine if you find your attention waning or your heart growing hard. Consider going on prayer walks to keep your mind and body focused, or think about pulling out your notepad and writing poetry to the Lord as a form of worship. Listen to the Bible on audio as a new way to engage with Scripture. You can paint for the Lord, dance for him, even bake—pray as you measure and pour! The aim is to keep our hearts centered on the goodness and nearness of Christ, and to immerse our minds in his Truth.

It’s worth it to spend daily time with Jesus, because at the end of all days, Jesus is all we will have. Share on X

So as 2018 whispers in like a song yet to be sung, let’s turn our time and our hearts, again, to Jesus. He is so worthy, friends. And completely available to meet with us every day of the year.

This piece was originally published at Deeply Rooted.

Filed Under: God, Guest Post Tagged With: 2018, Ann Swindell, author, Christianity, faith, God, guest post, resolution, soul tired, Writing

When Your Dreams Feel Unseen

September 5, 2017 by Ann 6 Comments

Last year, my daughter and I planted a cantaloupe plant in our front garden right before summer got into full swing. I am the epitome of a black thumb, so it was an act both of faith and of craziness, and I wrote about it in the last chapter of my book, Still Waiting.

That chapter is perhaps my favorite chapter of the entire book, and while it’s about this particular cantaloupe plant, it’s also about the ways in which God cares for us and meets with us even when our prayers seem unanswered. It’s a chapter about faith and looking ahead and trusting that often, what we can’t see is making way for something more beautiful than we could have ever imagined.

I’ve had some readers ask me about the cantaloupe plant that I reference in Still Waiting, and I wanted to give you an update, albeit a year later:

Yay! That little cantaloupe plant grew and grew–in fact, the vines overtook the whole of our tiny garden and eclipsed anything else in the plot. And finally, as summer turned into fall, my daughter and I celebrated the growth that God did in that tiny seed by eating the literal fruit of his faithfulness.

So, just a reminder for you today, friend: if it feels like your dreams and hopes are in the ground, unseen…God sees you. He knows your heart and he hears your prayers. There is a day coming when you will see the fruit of your faith. I don’t know when that is; only the Lord does! But he is faithful and there will be a day of reaping the spiritual harvest you have prayed for.

If it feels like your dreams and hopes are in the ground, unseen...God sees you. He knows your heart and hears your prayers. Share on X

If you haven’t read Still Waiting yet, can I encourage you to pick up a copy? No matter what season of life you’re in, my prayer is that this book will strengthen you in your own walk with the Lord and remind you that you’re never alone.

Filed Under: God, Still Waiting Book Tagged With: Ann Swindell, Christianity, dreams, encouragement for the weary soul, faith, I feel unseen, my dreams have died, my soul is tired

Waiting and the Gift of Unanswered Prayer

July 20, 2017 by Ann 1 Comment

I’m always honored to write for Desiring God;
this is the start of my newest article for them.
You can read the whole of the article here!

I have been praying the same prayer for healing for more than twenty years.

If you’ve been praying for one particular thing over months or years or decades, then you know how exhausting and difficult it can feel to keep returning to God with the same petition.

I was just a child when I developed trichotillomania — a hair-pulling condition — and while it’s not a life-threatening condition, it has been life-altering for me. Imagine not being able to stop pulling out your own hair, even though you hate how it makes you look — and feel. That’s been my daily experience for more than half of my life.

I’ve been asking God to do what no doctor, therapy, or medication can: heal me. I have tried various therapies and supplements, and I continue to seek to walk in healing, but there’s no clear “cure” for trichotillomania. I know that if I’m going to be healed, I will need a gift of grace from God himself. And while I wholeheartedly believe in God’s ability to heal me, I also know that he hasn’t healed me over these last two decades. Not yet.

Therefore, I wait.

Why Waiting Hurts

If I’m honest, waiting is something I would prefer to avoid on any level, from waiting for a prayer to be answered all the way down to waiting in line at the grocery store. Why? Because waiting elicits the feeling of helplessness — of having to rely on someone else to act on my behalf.

Waiting forces me to come to terms with my own weakness. It’s what waiting does to all of us: when we can’t work harder to get what we want, or when we can’t manipulate life to turn out the way we want it to, or when we can’t pay enough money or get enough help to achieve what our heart desperately desires, we are left with the truth of our own insufficiency: we are weak.

God is with you in your waiting: he has heard every prayer, listened to every cry, kept track of every sorrow. Share on X

And we aren’t in control. Not even a little bit. We have to rely on someone else — on God — to act on our behalf.

It’s difficult and humbling to come to terms with our own inability to make anything happen. When we have prayed and longed and hoped and begged and done all that we can and still — still — there is no change in our circumstances, we are forced to stop our striving and simply wait, in large part because there is nothing else for us to do. We must stop and pause and look to God to act. And in that waiting, at the end of our proverbial rope, we will become aware of our inability to attain anything of lasting value on our own.

Read the rest of the article here, at Desiring God!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Ann Swindell, Desiring God, faith, praying for a long time, soul tired, Still Waiting Book, unanswered prayer, waiting, why hasn't God answered my prayer, writing for Desiring God