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July 2004
Christian counselors
Listing available
A listing of Christian counselors serving the Fishers area is available on
FW.com. Also available for download is a tri-fold brochure in PDF.
Click here!
Write a Devotional
Help us minister to the Fishers area
We
have started sending out weekly e-mail devotionals that have been well
received. Now we need YOUR help to keep them going! Check out the details and online submission form at
www.FishersWorship.com/devotions/.
Tell your congregation about this opportunity to both receive these FREE
e-mail devotions and to contribute devotions for consideration.
Send in your devotions today!!
Post your church news!
Spread the word about your church!
Tell the Fishers area community what's happening at your church. Take a look
at the news items currently posted at
FishersWorship.com News.
E-mail your news to
info@FishersWorship.com. This is a FREE service!
Ideas to share?
Do you have ideas to share
with other area church leaders? How to improve attendance? Tips for solving problems or conducting
successful events? E-mail them to
info@FishersWorship.com
today and we'll share them in future issues of the
NEWS for Fishers area Church Leaders.
Is your FREE listing
accurate?
Please take a minute to check your FREE
listing posted @FishersWorship.com and make sure it's up to date and
accurate. Send any changes or corrections to
info@FishersWorhsip.com.
Don't have a listing posted? Why not?
It's FREE!!! It only takes a couple of minutes to provide your information.
Just complete the simple online form and click on the submit button. This is
a FREE service -- there are no hidden costs or charges. Get your Fishers
area church listed today! Go to
www.FishersWorship.com/freeform/ and complete the form to get your FREE
listing.
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you buy books from Amazon.com? If so, start your shopping by using the links
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New & coming soon from
Epiphany Lane Press
...
All Writing Is Not Equal: How to
write anything better. (A Dawning Bulb Book) Contains tips on writing, layout,
design, web sites, e-mail, journaling software, and more! Includes
previous articles from The Dawning Bulb. New!
The Godtouch: Poems. Originally published in 1985 consisting
of 55 poems, this is an updated and expanded edition, now with 92
poems. New!
Pastor's Complete Model Letter Book.
This invaluable resource will be
available both as a wire-bound letter size book and on CD in Word and
PDF formats. It will contain hundreds of example letters covering
dozens of subject areas that any pastor can easily modify and
personalize to their specific needs. (Originally published by Prentice Hall.)
Coming soon! |
Ten “commandments” for
writing better letters (or anything else)
Guidelines from Scripture
Sometimes, the hardest
thing to write is a letter. Whether it’s a cover letter to go with
your resume, a letter of apology, a letter of condolence to a friend,
or a complaint to a local merchant, letters can be a challenge. You’ve
got to say what you need to say in a very small space.
Whatever the writing
opportunity is, it’s a challenge you can easily meet. The ten
“commandments” that follow will serve to help you produce effective
and powerful letters, as well as other written communication.
Writing a letter sometimes
seems an annoying task or a “necessary evil.” But it doesn’t have to
be so, nor should it be. When you sit down to write, keep in mind
Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him.” (NIV)
Writing a letter, a memo,
or anything else should be a special joy as a Christian because it’s
another opportunity to minister. It is in this spirit that the
following guidelines are offered.
1. BE SMART –
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should
ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it
will be given to him.” (James 1:5)
Before picking up your pen
or touching a typewriter, stop and think about what you want to say in
your letter. Think it through carefully. The more sensitive the
situation, the more care you need to take. The best help you can get
is from God. Don’t just think – pray before you write.
2. BE ON TARGET –
“Among all these soldiers there were
seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could
sling a stone at a hair and not miss.” (Judges 20:16)
Be sure you’re writing to
the right audience or person. Keep your reader in mind as you write.
Don’t send a letter to teens that was originally aimed at adults, and
vice versa. Also, don’t send a letter to an assistant that needs to go
to an administrator or to a group when it should go to an individual.
3. BE ACCURATE –
“But whoever lives by the truth comes
into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done
has been done through God.” (John 3:21)
A letter writer’s
effectiveness depends upon credibility. Be absolutely sure you’ve got
all of the facts straight. Every situation has a well-greased
grapevine, and information is easily distorted, especially if it was
wrong to begin with. Check your facts. Make sure you have the right
names, dates, times, and places. When you’re sure you’re right, check
again.
4. BE COHERENT
(logical) –
“Peter began and explained
everything to them precisely as it had happened.” (Acts 11:4), “But
everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” (1
Corinthians 14:40).
Incoherence or poor logic
is a common problem in writing, so I’ve given two Scriptures to
emphasize its importance. The easiest method of organization is to
tell your story chronologically – in the order events occurred or will
occur. If you’ve got several items or points to cover, outline first.
If you can’t rank them chronologically, rank them in order of
importance. Number each item in your letter if necessary. Be sure to
make smooth transitions from one thought to another.
5. BE CLEAR –
“. . . do not keep on babbling like
pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many
words.” (Matthew 6:7).
Keep it simple. Avoid use a
long word where a short one will do. Just as God ignores heathen
prayers loaded with “fancy language,” so will your reader! Other than
observing the basic rules of grammar, try to write the way your reader
talks.
6. BE KIND –
“Finally, all of you, live in harmony
with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate
and humble.” (1 Peter 3:8).
Never write a letter when
you’re angry. If you do, don’t mail it. Set it aside so you and your
letter can cool off. Always be as considerate of your reader as you
want them to be toward you. Try to see the situation from their point
of view. We all make mistakes. Sometimes anger is a reasonable
reaction to a situation. But always be careful how you let your anger
be expressed. (Conversely, avoid being saccharine when being forceful
is called for.)
7. BE YOURSELF –
“Two men went up to the temple to pray,
one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up
and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other
men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax
collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the
tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to
heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a
sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home
justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14).
The moral of this parable
is, don’t put on airs, whether you’re dealing with God or people. Be
yourself. Be honest. Be straightforward. Don’t use words or a style
that you wouldn’t use in a conversation with your best friend.
8. BE BRIEF
(concise) – “Brothers, I urge you to
bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short
letter.” (Hebrews 13:22).
Have a point. Get to the
point. Stick to the point. And then sign off. How many two-or
four-page letters do you read all the way through? Don’t write letters
longer than they need to be.
9. BE WILLING TO REVISE
– “But the pot he was shaping from
the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another
pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.” (Jeremiah 18:4).
Seldom is any good writing
achieved in the first draft. As all good writing, letters deserve
special care, not only out of consideration for your reader, but also
for yourself. Letters convey in print an image – your image. The more
personal or sensitive or special the situation, the more care fully
they must be thought out. Always have someone else proofread for
typos, misspellings, and other errors. A little mistake can cost you
and your church a lot of respect.
10. BE BRAVE –
“David also said to Solomon his son, ‘Be
strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or
discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail
you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of
the LORD is finished.’” (1 Chronicles 28:20).
While many are intimidated
by having to write anything at all, it need not be a fearful task.
With forethought and planning, anyone can write an effective and
powerful letter (or anything else). Have an important letter to write?
Keep these guidelines in mind, be brave – and do it!
Free
e-books
Try before
you buy!
You can download and preview for
FREE every book currently available from Epiphany Lane
Press. The titles are all in PDF (you
will need the free Acrobat Reader).
Just click here to download your
FREE e-books now!
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