Scattering the Seed

By Nancy Ellen Hird

The Bible calls Satan the accuser of the brethren. And it is true. I’ve heard that sly, nasty voice—many, many times. I’m sure you have too. He wants to throw us off our game. He wants to convince us to leave the field—sit on the bench with our hands folded and our mouths shut. Well, I don’t think so!

He started in on me one day a while back after I gave away copies of my mystery novel to a couple of friends. “You gave away that book—you’re embarrassing yourself. The characters aren’t interesting. The plotline is predictable. The language is pedestrian. There are errors of punctuation—most assuredly—grammar, formatting. And what’s more, you use scripture—preachy! What made you think you could write?”

Sound familiar—anyone?

But he didn’t get away with it that day. God gave me a friend. She looked me in the face and said with a let’s-have-no-nonsense-about-this in her voice, “You did your best. Your book was prayed over. God is going to use it.”

After that I looked differently at my writings and the “marketing” of them. I began to consider my writings as seeds and the distribution of them as scattering the seed. I began to give away a lot of my books. I gave them to thrift stores. I gave them to repairmen and service people who came to our house. My mother recently moved into a senior living center, and I gave a book to another resident and placed my books in the senior living center’s small library.

I watch for opportunities to make “book” connections with people I meet. For example, my mystery novels are set in a bed and breakfast. So, when I travel and encounter a friendly hotel receptionist, I offer a book.

Recently, I had a bigger idea about scattering the seed. And this involves you. We are writers, but we are also consumers. What if we intentionally sought out and purchased Christian fiction with the goal of giving these books to friends and to family as gifts for Christmas, birthdays and “just because I love you”? It might give your beloved one an opportunity to read a book that is not necessarily popular, but is the God book for the right person, for the right time.

We can find such books on the monthly New Releases posts or among the Carol Awards finalists and winners. We can use Fiction Finder or read book reviews on Christian blogs. At Books 4 Christian Kids, you will find recommendations for books for readers ages 2 to 25. There are many other online Christian review sites.

And please, please seek out, purchase, and give away Christian literature to children and young adults. What is being offered to them in the general market, seldom feeds their souls.

What I’m suggesting is not the same as supporting our friends who are authors. That may be a by-product, but the goal is bigger than that. The goal is for us to become aware of and scatter the seed that God has given us—His writers in the body. It is to use story to witness to His love and His goodness. So, 😊 let’s sow some seed.

Nancy Ellen Hird currently writes for children and young adults. Passionate about what kids read, she is the team leader of Books 4 Christian Kids. You can learn more about Nancy and her mystery novels at www.nancyellenhird.com. She and her husband live in California. They have a grown daughter.