Since the bulk of my work has been in the faith-based market, I am often approached by other writers trying to succeed in the same field. It is not unusual for them to excitedly announce to me that God told them to write something. Then, a year or two later, they approach me again to express profound disillusionment because their creative enterprise was not produced or published. How could that be? God told them to write it...
I'm actually a good person to discuss this issue with. I believe in God, and I firmly believe God still communicates with people. In fact, I wrote a book, "The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God," about something God told me would happen that didn't. How can that be? God cannot lie. Right? Right. Therefore, the error must be found elsewhere.
Before we go any further, I first recommend that you endeavor to find out whether that still small voice you are hearing is indeed God. I am not going to go into all of the Biblical passages, but be a good Berean and test the spirit against the word of God. Let's just leave it at this: If the voice is telling you to do something wrong, it's definitely not God. If the voice is encouraging you to do something you've always wanted to do, it's probably not God either. That's probably just you. God doesn't need to break the fourth wall, as it were, to tell us to do something we're already dead set on doing. From my own experience, I can say that God has never encouraged me to follow my own desires. More often than not, He's the voice that says no. Or beware. And, when He did send me on a path I was happy to travel, He did so by pointing me in a direction I never would have taken myself.
Back on point. Do I believe God told me to write something? Sure. In fact, I credit my entire screenwriting career to His will. To explain how, here's an excerpt from my memoir, "The Promise or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God."
I remember driving to work one day soon after I got the job at Smith Burke & Azzam. I was long gone from Amway, but I maintained some of the goal-oriented mentality. While I was driving, I remember proclaiming to God my five professional goals. Then I heard the voice again. “Now I know your goals,” He said. “Are you interested in mine?”
Before we go any further, I first recommend that you endeavor to find out whether that still small voice you are hearing is indeed God. I am not going to go into all of the Biblical passages, but be a good Berean and test the spirit against the word of God. Let's just leave it at this: If the voice is telling you to do something wrong, it's definitely not God. If the voice is encouraging you to do something you've always wanted to do, it's probably not God either. That's probably just you. God doesn't need to break the fourth wall, as it were, to tell us to do something we're already dead set on doing. From my own experience, I can say that God has never encouraged me to follow my own desires. More often than not, He's the voice that says no. Or beware. And, when He did send me on a path I was happy to travel, He did so by pointing me in a direction I never would have taken myself.
Back on point. Do I believe God told me to write something? Sure. In fact, I credit my entire screenwriting career to His will. To explain how, here's an excerpt from my memoir, "The Promise or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God."
I remember driving to work one day soon after I got the job at Smith Burke & Azzam. I was long gone from Amway, but I maintained some of the goal-oriented mentality. While I was driving, I remember proclaiming to God my five professional goals. Then I heard the voice again. “Now I know your goals,” He said. “Are you interested in mine?”
He didn’t tell them to me, but after that, I never set goals again. I have tried to live my life on a day-to-day basis, ready to respond to the prompting of the Lord. And such a prompting came rather quickly.
A couple of months later, I was driving to work praising the Lord. It was a beautiful day, and I was very happy. Then I heard the voice again. He said: “Sean, you’re going to get fired today.”
That stopped the praise pronto.
The agency had just lost a major account. The previous week, we went through a Black Friday. Lots of good people were fired. Those of us who remained assumed we were safe. Advertising agencies usually fired everyone at once in those circumstances to calm the rest of the staff. Otherwise, people they intend to keep might get antsy and jump ship.
I was crestfallen. I liked having a real job. Real responsibilities. Real money. I didn’t know what I’d do.
The Lord sensed my mood. He said, “If you’re afraid, I won’t have you fired, but it will be better for you if you are fired.”
The last time God gave me a choice, I followed my own desires. This time, I was willing to trust him. “Fire me,” I said.
Around eleven-thirty, I was paged and told to report to the comptroller. I went to her office smiling. Sure enough, she fired me, but gently and with compassion. I left her office with a smile waiting to see what the future would hold.
I made no immediate effort to find another job. I spent a day or two watching movies. I don’t remember what film actually inspired me, but at some point I said to myself, “I can do better than that.” I turned off the VHS player and walked upstairs to my typewriter.
I wrote a police thriller called Forty-Four, about a retiring detective on the hunt for a serial killer on the streets of Baltimore. It was a little short and predictable, but the words came easily. Late Sunday night, I typed: Fade Out. The End. I couldn’t believe it. I wrote an entire feature length screenplay in less than a week. And it wasn’t half bad. It was only about forty-eight percent bad.
The next morning I awoke to a ringing phone. It was Smith Burke & Azzam. They wanted to hire me back. After only a week. After only as long as it took to write that script…
Then it struck me. The Lord had given me a forced furlough from my advertising job for that very purpose. He was pointing me in a new direction. He wanted me to write, and I wasn’t going to let Him down.
So do I believe that God wanted me to write the script "Forty-Four?" Yes, I do. Granted, the timing could have been a mere coincidence, but given my relationship with the Lord at the time, I don't believe it was one. My eventual success in the field also confirms my thoughts on the matter.
Therefore, the film got made, right?
No!
Well, it's gonna get made one day, right? After all, God wanted you to write it....
No, I don't think it will ever get made.
Then why did God want you to write it?
Because He wanted to point me in that direction. And He wanted me to learn the craft, and, trust me, I had a lot to learn to successfully compete with the professionals in Hollywood.
The second most memorable line I ever heard from the ultimate hyphenate, actor-writer-director-producer David A.R. White, the Tom Cruise of Christian films, was uttered at the Boston Christian Film Festival. A budding writer came up to him and said, "I want to become a Christian screenwriter. What should I do?" David wisely replied, "If you want to become a Christian screenwriter, the first thing you've got to do is learn your craft because God deserves your best."
So true. After all, if you felt God told you to become a doctor, you wouldn't immediately buy a scalpel and start operating on people the next day. No. You would realize that you have to go to medical school. Then why do you think that your first script will or should be produced? To think you can succeed as a writer without any training or even practice shows utter contempt for the field you feel inspired to enter. God deserves your best. Take the time to learn your craft.
And, while you're at it, learn to gauge your success on God's timetable, not your own. Did God tell you that your inspired script would sell on a specific day? If He did, and it didn't sell on that day, then you have a problem. And that problem is probably that you mistook an inner yearning as the voice of God. How can I say that? Easy, God doesn't lie.
If God didn't give you a date when the script or book would sell, you have no right to complain just because it hasn't happen yet. If it is truly God's will, He will work it out in His own time. I just shake my head when someone says their script failed because it's over a year old and that the five people who read it rejected it. Really? I don't even begin to think I've given one of my scripts a fair chance until I pitched it to about 900 people. (That's not an exaggeration.) As for timing, my script "I, John" was just optioned and will probably be produced this year. It was written ten-years-ago. Another one of my scripts, "Then The Judgement," was also recently optioned. It was written twenty-eight-years-ago. I'm glad I didn't give up on either of them after a few nos.
My point is that just because God tells you to write a script or a book, it doesn't mean it will be produced or published. It just means He wanted you to write it for His own purposes. You might never know why in this lifetime. However, if you think He wanted you to write that script or book so that you could become rich and famous, then you probably weren't writing it for Him in the first place. If it is truly God's script or book, He will use it in His way in His time. Be patient. Just do the best job you can and move on to the next project.
Other Faith Based Writing Blogs:
Building The Faith Based Ghetto
Do Christian Creators Know When Their Movies Are Bad?
God Told Me To Write It
Enter The Haters
Ministry of Motion Pictures Podcast Interview Part 1
Ministry of Motion Pictures Podcast Interview Part 2
Ministry of Motion Pictures Podcast Interview Part 3
Zach Lawrence and the End Times Quandary
The Making of Hidden Secrets
The Making of Holyman Undercover
The Making of Sarah's Choice
The Making of The Encounter
So do I believe that God wanted me to write the script "Forty-Four?" Yes, I do. Granted, the timing could have been a mere coincidence, but given my relationship with the Lord at the time, I don't believe it was one. My eventual success in the field also confirms my thoughts on the matter.
Therefore, the film got made, right?
No!
Well, it's gonna get made one day, right? After all, God wanted you to write it....
No, I don't think it will ever get made.
Then why did God want you to write it?
Because He wanted to point me in that direction. And He wanted me to learn the craft, and, trust me, I had a lot to learn to successfully compete with the professionals in Hollywood.
The second most memorable line I ever heard from the ultimate hyphenate, actor-writer-director-producer David A.R. White, the Tom Cruise of Christian films, was uttered at the Boston Christian Film Festival. A budding writer came up to him and said, "I want to become a Christian screenwriter. What should I do?" David wisely replied, "If you want to become a Christian screenwriter, the first thing you've got to do is learn your craft because God deserves your best."
So true. After all, if you felt God told you to become a doctor, you wouldn't immediately buy a scalpel and start operating on people the next day. No. You would realize that you have to go to medical school. Then why do you think that your first script will or should be produced? To think you can succeed as a writer without any training or even practice shows utter contempt for the field you feel inspired to enter. God deserves your best. Take the time to learn your craft.
And, while you're at it, learn to gauge your success on God's timetable, not your own. Did God tell you that your inspired script would sell on a specific day? If He did, and it didn't sell on that day, then you have a problem. And that problem is probably that you mistook an inner yearning as the voice of God. How can I say that? Easy, God doesn't lie.
If God didn't give you a date when the script or book would sell, you have no right to complain just because it hasn't happen yet. If it is truly God's will, He will work it out in His own time. I just shake my head when someone says their script failed because it's over a year old and that the five people who read it rejected it. Really? I don't even begin to think I've given one of my scripts a fair chance until I pitched it to about 900 people. (That's not an exaggeration.) As for timing, my script "I, John" was just optioned and will probably be produced this year. It was written ten-years-ago. Another one of my scripts, "Then The Judgement," was also recently optioned. It was written twenty-eight-years-ago. I'm glad I didn't give up on either of them after a few nos.
My point is that just because God tells you to write a script or a book, it doesn't mean it will be produced or published. It just means He wanted you to write it for His own purposes. You might never know why in this lifetime. However, if you think He wanted you to write that script or book so that you could become rich and famous, then you probably weren't writing it for Him in the first place. If it is truly God's script or book, He will use it in His way in His time. Be patient. Just do the best job you can and move on to the next project.
Personal Musings:
Building The Faith Based Ghetto
Do Christian Creators Know When Their Movies Are Bad?
God Told Me To Write It
Enter The Haters
Ministry of Motion Pictures Podcast Interview Part 1
Ministry of Motion Pictures Podcast Interview Part 2
Ministry of Motion Pictures Podcast Interview Part 3
Zach Lawrence and the End Times Quandary
The Making of Hidden Secrets
The Making of Holyman Undercover
The Making of Sarah's Choice
The Making of The Encounter
Be sure to check out my memoir The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God, published by TouchPoint Press. It is my true story of first faith and first love and how the two became almost fatally intertwined.
Here are some sample chapters of The Promise:
Chapter 7 - Mission Accomplished
Chapter 15 - Quarter To Midnight
Be sure to check out my novel Chapel Street. It tells the story of a young man straddling the line between sanity and madness while battling a demonic entity that has driven his family members to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting my family experienced.
You can buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
Chapter 15 - Quarter To Midnight
Be sure to check out my novel Chapel Street. It tells the story of a young man straddling the line between sanity and madness while battling a demonic entity that has driven his family members to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting my family experienced.
You can buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
Listen to me read some chapters here:
Read about the true haunting that inspired the novel here:
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 1, An Introduction
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 2, The House
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 3, This Is Us
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 4, Arrival
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 5, Methodology
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 6, Clara's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 7, Clara's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 8, My Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 9, My Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 10, My Tale, Pt. 3
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 11, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 12, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 13, John's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 14, John's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 15, Come Inside!
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 16, Marion's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 17, Marion's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 18, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 19, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 20, Lisa's Tale
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 21, Recap, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 22, Recap, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 23, Recap, Pt. 3
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 2, The House
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 3, This Is Us
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 4, Arrival
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 5, Methodology
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 6, Clara's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 7, Clara's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 8, My Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 9, My Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 10, My Tale, Pt. 3
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 11, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 12, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 13, John's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 14, John's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 15, Come Inside!
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 16, Marion's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 17, Marion's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 18, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 19, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 20, Lisa's Tale
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 21, Recap, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 22, Recap, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 23, Recap, Pt. 3
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