fall conference

One of the reasons for our recent trip was to attend the Inscribe Fall Conference in Edmonton. This was the first Inscribe conference I've ever attended, though I've been a member for some years.

One of the weekend's highlights for me was listening to our keynote speaker, novelist Angela Hunt. She actually didn't talk much about writing at all. Instead, she addressed the place a Christian writer should write from. Here are some of her words as captured in my notes:

Angela Hunt

Satan is a leashed lion -- and God has a firm grip on the other end of the leash. Nothing (that happens to us) is a mistake, it's all in God's hands.

Three principles to remember:
1. Our vision is limited. Everything in our lives is a learning experience. God is not our puppet, we are His.

2. Our God has a plan. We cannot surprise God. When God puts me in a place where He knows I'll make a mess, He'll help me clean it up and in the process show me how to keep from doing it again.

3. Your offering to the Lord should cost you something -- maybe even your dreams. God wants the surrendered life. Our lives are a beautiful tapestry in God's hands. We decide to take a leap of faith but later discover we were pushed.

Strive to write excellently because your work is an offering to the Lord. Excellence is that place where precision and passion meet in an explosion that rips through the world of complacency.

As a writer, eschew pride. You are, after all, in the middle. There are certainly some writers that aren't as successful or as talented as you. And it's just as certain there are writers that are better and way more successful.

Marcia Laycock

Another conference highlight for me was the book launch Friday evening. Can you blame me, since my own Family Reunion was part of it -- along with Marcia Laycock's first novel One Smooth Stone. Sue (bless her heart) got this cake for the occasion. How special is that?



It was a real thrill to actually meet people (Inscribe members) I've known only virtually through our Yahoo group. Because we've met each other online, it felt more like being with old friends than new ones. My big regret was that the conference wasn't longer. After we parted Saturday night, I kept thinking of people I wish I'd have had a chance to talk to. As a workshop presenter (I led two poetry workshops), I felt somewhat focused on my job during much of Saturday, so another day to relax and take in the people and surroundings would have been wonderful. Maybe that means I need to attend another conference real soon (like next year's? I see the ads are already up!).