This month Cup of Faith hosted our first ever fiction writing workshop! As a blog that aims to encourage inspired and excellent writing, this workshop aligned perfectly with our calling. When I first met Joan Campbell through a prayer meeting, I was delighted by her passion for the use of fiction in sharing Christian ideas. She has written six books, including a Christian fantasy series. As someone who loves reading novels, I often dream of learning to write fiction. If I wanted to expand my writing skills, there were surely more people in our Cup of Faith community who shared this desire.

Here are some of the reasons people signed up to join the workshop:

“I am hoping to use my testimonies to write a book, to encourage other women. I want people who have similar experiences or are experiencing fears to know the power of God in our lives. I just have no idea how to practically share my story.” Wow!

“[To gain] an increased ease and confidence in my writing, and to experience a nearness and revelation of Christ through writing.” How beautiful is this?

“To refresh my motivation to write.” That’s a biggie!

The workshop had been in the pipeline for over a year. After discussing the content, Joan and I settled on the theme of ‘weaving the threads of a story together’ and titled the workshop ‘Story Threads’. There are many elements of writing a story that, when combined, create a beautiful, rich tapestry. During this beginner level workshop we looked at plot, character and setting. Joan taught us about the element, then explained our writing exercise which we did immediately. Being in a room with others who were hungry to write, itching for that wave of inspiration, was like experiencing electricity in the air. I know I don’t give my creative mind nearly enough time to just play with ideas. When praying for the workshop, I earnestly asked the Holy Spirit that He would bring us fresh waves of inspiration – a prayer I saw answered. I was amazed at how easily my ideas rolled out of my mind and onto the page. In particular, I had fun with Joan’s ‘character voice’ exercise. I felt like I had ‘met’ someone in my imagination and that as I wrote I was getting to know her. 

Joan summarised the feedback she got in a Facebook post: “…it appears the workshop imparted not only skills, but encouragement and confidence too. One of the attendees said that she had been creatively blocked for a few years and the workshop had sparked her creativity again. Another said she was surprised at how easily the writing ideas flowed on the day.”

I truly hope this workshop is just the first of many that we will run! If you’d like to be informed directly about future events, please leave a comment.

Do you enjoy reading Christian fiction? If so, who is your favourite Christian fiction author? Let us know in the comments below!

Kate Walsh

Kate is the current owner and editor of Cup of Faith. She is a blogger who loves Jesus, loves to read, and currently lives in Johannesburg with her husband.

The post Story Threads: Christian Fiction Writers’ Workshop appeared first on Cup of Faith.

At the beginning of this year, I prayed for God to show me His heart for Cup of Faith in 2025. A verse from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount seemed like it was jumping out at me from the page as I read:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 NIV

Dear friends, this scripture meets me at a time when I feel the wind is blowing and beating, the rain is pummeling and the water level is rising at an alarming rate. In both my inner life and my outer circumstances, I feel I am surviving rather than thriving. It’s true that no one will make it through this life without facing difficulties. Not even Jesus had a carefree human life! And God knows this about us. But here’s His promise: If we prepare ourselves wisely, our entire lives can stand firm.

Birthing Ishmaels

But godly wisdom doesn’t come naturally. Jesus knows we are prone to doing things our way. It’s difficult to be patient when we are waiting on God. No one knew this better than Abraham and Sarah. They struggled with the reality of their infertility which seemed to blatantly contradict God’s promise. The waiting was too long, too tedious, too painful. Ishmael was a product of the ‘we’ll make a plan and show it to God’ way of navigating the tension. It was the easier route but it had devastating consequences for all involved parties.

Building our lives on the sand will have devastating consequences. The opportunity cost is too high. What could be used for the Kingdom will be washed away in an instant because we did it without the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The Holy Spirit is so gentle with us. He is easily grieved. He won’t nag us to wait for God. But His quiet conviction is sure. We can lean into it in faith. 

The Rock

“…everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

When Jesus says ‘these words of mine’, He’s referencing the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 – 7) as well as the rest of scripture. But the Sermon on the Mount certainly has a lot of practical wisdom to start with. Things that are countercultural, that we don’t see many examples of, and are thus easy to forget. Things like

• Blessed are the poor in spirit
• Turn the other cheek
• Tag the log out of your own eye

Jesus is telling us that wise living means investing into our character first. Character before possessions, character before being right, character rather than transient passions… Personally, I’ve had to re-learn what it means to take the log out of my own eye. This was something He first spoke to me about in my early years as a Christian in reference to my relationship with my brother. You can imagine how easy that was! But sibling relationships are a great testing ground for the rest of our relationships. Just last night, as my husband and I attended an Alpha Marriage course at our church, this verse was referenced as a key concept for healthy conflict. When we are hurt, all we want to do is to point out to the other party why they are wrong but we are right. In reality, Jesus is saying, we are more so at fault for such a hypocritical and judgemental attitude! When we are healed we can better minister with humility and grace to others.

Employing such a ‘Lord, me first’ attitude in my marriage has been immensely healing. It’s relieved me from the role I placed myself in as my husband’s chief fault-finder. Jesus’ wisdom is truly a rock for us to build our lives on.

What about you?

Why not take some time this week to read through the Sermon on the Mount. Allow the Holy Spirit to highlight a passage to you. Perhaps it won’t even be immediately obvious as to its relevance in your life. But trust that as you allow Him to lead you in His wisdom, you are secure against the coming storms.

Kate Walsh

Kate is the current owner and editor of Cup of Faith. She is a blogger who loves Jesus, loves to read, and currently lives in Johannesburg with her husband.

The post The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock appeared first on Cup of Faith.