Mountain Top

My week at Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference was, first of all, a spiritual experience. Between the hike to the top of the mountain on Palm Sunday, the beautiful times of song and prayer, and my short hike down into a valley of redwoods, I found my spirit refreshed and my soul revived.

Beyond the warm sunshine and lovely flowers, I also had opportunity to sit at the feet of some of the most gifted teachers in the industry. More surprising than the skill of successful authors, though, was the level of craft and dedication among those trying to break in. If the people I met are any indication, Christian publishing will only improve.

Perhaps the greatest lesson I took away from Mount Hermon was the realization that I sat amongst 500 writers who write in different genres, with different styles and different voices. Yet all wrote for the same goal. When I write a novel with redemptive value, I can spread good news to people who read fiction. Another author may write non-fiction and touch someone else's life. Others may write poetry or biography or devotionals. But we all write to the glory of the same God.