A Writer's View

I would not say I am a natural writer; creativity for me is more like a mental workout than a relaxing past time. I used to hate that workout; it used to be that I would avoid creativity at all costs. Art, music, and writing were things which I was forced to do in school: I did not enjoy them. I just wanted to barrel my way through these necessary evils and hope they never came up again. I used to say I was not creative, I know see that it is not that I am not creative, it is that I just have to work hard at being creative.

Olympic Athletes are gifted in certain sports because of the way they are naturally built. In this same way we naturally have gifts and talents that God has given us, and just like Olympians train for years for competition, we must refine them through practice and experience. I now see that is not that I am not natural writer, it is that I had never worked on that portion of my giftings and thus left it to the wayside, unused and under developed.

I started to write for myself at God’s prompting prior to coming to the Dream Center, it is here however that this skill has really been pushed. When I first came here and was placed in marketing, I was initially taken aback, looking at this portion of the Dream Center ministry as unnecessary and frivolous.

As I went from making phone calls to going on outreach and writing, I finally understood, this placement is as much about me helping grow the Dream Center as it is about the Dream Center growing me. I learned how it is necessary to tell the story of the miracles, both big and small, that God is doing here.

In my short time here I have already seen how God has used this place to change my perception of both myself and the world around me. I can say that I have found skills and strength’s that I didn’t even know I possessed and honed the ones I do have more. It is all about me being made into a better tool to be used for the Kingdom of God, not about what I think I am supposed to do or what I can get out of my time here.

I still would not say that I am a natural writer, I would say rather that I am a writer in progress. Being given the opportunity to see the larger picture of how all the ministries here work together is not one everyone has. I would not have expected to be working in marketing, let alone in this capacity when I stepped on the plane to come here; never the less, I know this is where God would have me serve to sharpen those around me and be sharpened myself, for that reason I love it!

-Joel