Welcome to my NEW Blog Series: Two Paths, One Savior: Conversations with Glory / Writing and Ministry Together, Week 5
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About the Series: This new series shares the story of my friendship with Glory. She is Nigerian, and I am from the United States, yet God tied our hearts together in a beautiful way. We met at a Bible study in Lagos, Nigeria, and her love for Jesus was clear from the very first day.
Glory later moved to Canada, and during a recent visit, I interviewed her about her life and faith. I’ll be sharing one topic each week:
Week 1 – Our Connection and Story greenepastures.org/two-paths-one-savior-week-1/
Week 2 – Early Life and Faith greenepastures.org/two-paths-one-savior-conversations-with-glory-early-life-and-faithweek-2/
Week 3 – Journey and Calling Two Paths, One Savior: Conversations with Glory / Journey and Calling, Week 3 by Patti Greene | Greene Pastures by Patti Londa Greene
Week 4 – Singleness and Ministry https://greenepastures.org/singleness-and-ministry/
Week 5 – Writing and Ministry Together – THIS WEEK
6 – Reflection and Encouragement – Be Encouraged: You’re Not Walking Alone
Week 7 – Friendship and Connection – Enjoy Christ-Centered Friendships
Writing and Ministry Together
Q. What inspires your writing the most?
A. What inspires my writing the most is the word of God. I love the word of God. I can spend forever in it. I never get enough of it. That’s the key thing that inspires my writing, because I take it in, I meditate on it, and I think about how to apply it in my life.
The second thing that inspires my writing is my walk with God. As I take in His word and walk it out, it becomes an adventure. My writing comes from the things I learn and the things I draw from walking with Him. I’m practicing His word and watching it work in my life, and I’m also walking with the people God brings into my life and seeing how His word works in their lives.
Those are the things that inspire my writing.
Q. How does Scripture and personal experience shape your voice as a writer?
A. My writing is primarily shaped by the word of God and my experience of walking with God. Most of what I write comes from what I draw from Scripture—what I learn as I sit with the Holy Spirit and He opens my eyes to the word. He connects the Scriptures to my walk and to my experiences.
One thing I work hard on is not making my experience a standard for anyone else, because I know that’s not how God works. I also know that God uses His word to shape our walk, so I am learning from the word of God, and I am learning to walk the word of God, talk the word of God, and share that word by the way I live.
The people God brings into my life get to witness how the word of God works and produces fruit in the lives of those who believe. The word of God is the primary motivation for my writing, and aligning my walk with His truth helps confirm how His word works.
Q. What message do you feel God is asking you to share in this season?
A. Considering the season I am in and what God is doing in my life right now, I’m learning to see Him as the God who rescues people from troubles that they cannot get themselves out of, who redeems them from the ravages of the situations they’ve lived through, and who restores what was lost in the fire of affliction. These are the three messages God is working in my life currently, and I am seeing them and experiencing them.
I’m experiencing God rescue me. I’m experiencing God redeem me. And I’m sitting in the place where I am watching and seeing how God is doing this work of restoration in my own life. That’s what God is doing right now, and that’s the message—because, like my writing, I speak from my walk with God unless He specifically directs me to speak into something else. Most of the time, I draw from how He is revealing Himself as I walk in His word in my life and in my circumstances.
So right now, I am experiencing God as the One who rescues, the One who redeems, and the One who restores.
Q. How do you hope your writing will minister to others?
A. I am hopeful that my writing will minister to those who want to see God walking with them through their day‑to‑day experiences. I want it to reach those who long to encounter God in the places and ways I have encountered His power—to deliver, to help, to teach, to enlighten, and to heal.
I drink from the well of God through His word and through my life experiences, and I share what He has taught me and is still teaching me. I hope that people who are going through similar situations will find hope and encouragement through my writing and preaching, knowing they are not alone. When God says, “I will deliver,” He is fully able to do exactly that.
If people can see that He has done it in my life, maybe it will help them believe and hold on in those difficult and dark moments, knowing that God honors His word—not just to me, but to everyone who believes and waits for Him.
FACT by Patti
During the years I’ve known Glory, one thing has never changed: the “word” is always on her mind. I’m not exaggerating. I counted how many times she answered my questions using the word “word” above. It was eighteen. Eighteen! And honestly, that didn’t surprise me at all. She LOVES God’s word—the Bible. It’s practically her native language. And her multiple books prove that. Yes, most are on Amazon.
Glory and I met at a Bible study in Lagos, Nigeria, and we bonded immediately. One of the first things she shared with me was her poetry. I offered to help edit her poetry, not realizing I was about to enter a whole new world. You see, I’ve never been a big poetry person—but I didn’t tell her that. Then came the moment I sat down with her poems. Oh my. After going through a multitude—and I mean a multitude—of poems, I started to understand how Glory thinks, how she writes, and how deeply she listens to God. Somewhere between poem number twenty and poem number “I’ve lost count,” I realized she wasn’t just a good writer. She was a gifted one.
Over time, we’ve helped each other with our writing. But the funniest season was when I wrote three Bible Word Search Puzzle books. I had a program that created the puzzles using words I found in the New Testament. The problem? The program didn’t weed out bad words. Yes, you read that right. Bad words. In a Christian word search puzzle. So before publishing, I had to go through EVERY puzzle and hunt for anything inappropriate.
Naturally, I called on Glory. There aren’t too many friends one feels comfortable saying, “Hey, can you look for bad words in my book?”
At first, I asked her to look for twenty bad words. Then I narrowed it down to the worst five. That’s the kind of friend she is—she will sit with you, laugh with you, pray with you, and help you make sure your Bible puzzles don’t accidentally turn into something you’d have to repent for.
We help each other do good works, and we have fun doing it. And honestly, if you’ve ever wondered whether Christian word search authors go buggy searching for bad words—yes, we do. And Glory helped. She always helps. And her writing shows that same heart: steady, faithful, thoughtful, and full of God’s truth.
Bible Verse: “My heart is overflowing with a good theme… my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” Psalm 45:1
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for friends who encourage, love, and help us with our needs, whether big or small. Let us love your word so much that it is always on our mind, guiding us how to live, write, or whatever we do. Let us see You as the One who rescues, redeems, and restores us, as we follow You in our lives. Amen.
Next Week: Reflection and Encouragement
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Books by Patti Greene
Coming Soon: Luke 2: The Christmas Story: Discover the Birth of Jesus in Scripture
Unstoppable: Go the Distance with God ISBN: 979-8284335017
Answer Me: Developing a Heart for Prayer ISBN 978-1512760453
Bible Word Search Puzzles: The Gospels ISBN 979-8218070465
Bible Word Search Puzzles: Acts and Epistles ISBN 979-8218092696
Bible Word Search Puzzles: Epistles and Revelation ISBN 979-8363612046
Christian Caregiving: Practical Advice for a Happy Ending ISBN 978-0692115381
Awaken Me: A Devotional Prayer Journal ISBN 978-1490893181
Anchor Me: Laying a Foundation in Prayer and Bible Study ISBN 978-1490893174
