A WRITER’S PRAYER by THOMAS TREZISE

A WRITER’S PRAYER by THOMAS TREZISE
Thursday, September 19, 2024 by Patti Shene

Featured Book: Former Things Forgotten

Author: Thomas Trezise

Publisher: Redemption Press

Genre: Contemporary Christian/Speculative

Series or Standalone: First of two. The sequel is underway.

Target age: Teens and older

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR THOMAS TREZISE TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. THOMAS SHARES HOW HE FOUND FAITH AND DIRECTION ALONG HIS WRITING JOURNEY.

A WRITER’S PRAYER

Thomas Trezise

My path to becoming a Christian author began as a struggle in faith. I never aspired to be a writer. Indeed, even after God called me to write my first novel, Former Things Forgotten, I rejected that call because I did not want to do it. Well, God had a plan for this book and would not allow me to turn away. So, I eventually surrendered and wrote. You may find at the Home page of my website, Thomas Trezise’s Library, a video from my launch party that reviews that entire journey.

As I relate in the video, once I committed to God that I would write the book, I regarded him as a partner in the effort. I started almost every day with a prayer that he would give me the words for that day. And he did. Thousands of them. I rarely had writer’s block and produced a volume of words on a daily basis that far exceeded norms. I jettisoned two complete story lines that could, and likely will, become other books. Ignoring the thousands of words of those, I still had to edit out approximately 50,000 words to get to the final product, which itself is about 120,000 words.

It may seem axiomatic that a Christian writer must have Christ at the center of the effort, but I don’t think it’s easy. Writing is no different than any other aspect of Christian life. Daily ups and downs, problems, and emotions intrude. We are human and our humanity can drag us down and away from Christ, even in our call to write. Looking back on my effort, I think I encountered less of that once I began to seriously write because I struggled so hard at the beginning to surrender to God and then once I did that, to release my ego and surrender the book to him.

Once I aligned myself with God, my writing flowed. The critical part, however, was consistently submitting the writing to him in prayer. That really is a benchmark for living daily in Christ’s Kingdom no matter what your call, but prayer is essential to writing as a Christian. By May of 2021, I was completely immersed in the writing effort and wrote the prayer that follows below. If you are struggling to write, I hope it helps you to write within the peace of Christ.

My Savior and my Lord,

Open my eyes that I may see you moving in my life and the world;

Open my eyes that I may see others as you see them;

Open my ears that I may hear you speak;

Open my ears that I may listen to hear others as you hear them;

Open my mouth that I may speak words of your glory and lift praise to you;

Open my mouth that I may proclaim your Good News to others;

Open my heart that I may love you more, and more purely;

Open my heart that I may love others as you love them;

Open my mind that I may write words that proclaim your mercy and grace;

Open my mind that I may shape characters that bear witness to your Kingdom;

Open my mind that I may form plots that reveal you to a world in need of your love;

I seek all only for the sake of your Kingdom;

Bless all that I write for your Kingdom and nothing that is not for your glory.

Amen

Book Cover Blurb for Former Things Forgotten

Moonshine makes Tessa Gibbs’s father mean. Getting religion makes him cruel and judgmental.

Red-headed and determined Tessa is desperate to escape him, his God, and her home in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee. When a college scholarship provides the key to a new life, Tessa leaves the mountains but finds herself unfulfilled and always reaching for something beyond.

Created for a kingdom of which she has no earthly memory, Tessa doesn’t know she was part of a failed rebellion against God in heaven and sent to be born on fallen earth. Will she continue to choose her own way and resist all efforts to bring her back to the Kingdom? An intense battle wages to return her soul to God … and may require an ultimate sacrifice.

This intriguing and unforgettable story of love at the intersection of heaven and earth, where relationships are eternal and hard choices determine destinies, examines the questions, answers, and consequences of life lived for self or for God.

Available on Amazon, through Redemption Press, or most online booksellers. Amazon Former Things Forgotten

Tom Trezise is a retired lawyer and corporate executive with over twenty years of experience as a Methodist lay preacher. Raised in Appalachia, he proudly calls himself a hillbilly at heart. He is the executive director of The Everyday Kingdom, a non-profit devoted to fostering a community that helps people find and experience the peace, purpose, and joy available from living every day in Christ’s Kingdom. Visit Tom at thomastrezise.com (Thomas Trezise’s Library)

Comments

Natalya Lakhno From CA At 9/24/2024 12:45:06 AM

Beautiful cover and prayer!

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Natalya! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.

Jean Alfieri From CO At 9/21/2024 7:40:25 PM

What a touching story - and beautiful prayer. Thank you for sharing. Congratulations on your first of many books!

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Jean. Thank you so much for coming by and letting us know you were here. Tom's prayer is one that needs to be kept in a "saved" file for inspiration for us writers!

Becky Van Vleet From Colorado Springs At 9/21/2024 7:33:56 PM

Hi Tom and Patti! Tom, I really enjoyed reading your guest post about your writing journey. I know God is well pleased as you have been obedient to write for Him. I appreciate the prayer you wrote. The book sounds great, and I'll add it to my TBR list. God bless~

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Becky. Thank you so much for stopping by. I enjoyed Tom's story as well and love to see the way God works in our lives! I am also going to add Tom's book to my TBR list.