The Write Angle - Impressions on Paper

January 2024

Hello John,

Welcome to my first newsletter! And thanks for signing up to receive it. It’s here that you’ll discover what I’ve been up to in the writing world. Please know that I welcome your feedback and other comments.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s holiday period in which you could reflect on the many blessings we enjoy, despite the troubling world in which we live. The Scriptures admonish us to hang on to our faith, despite circumstances:

. . . let us hold firmly to the faith we profess (from Hebrews 4:14).

They also instruct us to choose joy, despite circumstances:

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;

    sing, all you who are upright in heart (Psalm 32:11)!



I trust and pray you are doing both. 

In March of last year we traveled through Wamego, KS, being sure to visit the famous Wizard of Oz Museum, which was a bucket-list item for me; many of you will recall that the Wizard of Oz is my all-time favorite movie, vis a vis all the related paraphernalia in my office. We then drove to Andalusia, AL, where I participated in the Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference. I was honored (and surprised) to have received the Best Non-Fiction Book Award for Defined by Fire: Seven Life-Changing Lessons from Devastating Tragedy, which many of you have read, to my delight.



This past October I was at a much bigger conference, the Florida Christian Writers Conference at Lake Yale, just outside Orlando. Wow — did I ever learn a lot there, from establishing an interactive website, which is how you got here, to seeking new avenues for publishing my work, to learning which books I should read this year in order to become a better writer.

Sunrise over Lake Yale

"best sunrise photo I've ever taken"

 I'm currently working on a series of books called Spiritual Musings. Some of you may remember that I did something crazy in mid-2018 — pedaling a bicycle 4,320 miles across the country, and camping along the way. It took 90 days to accomplish, and during that time the Lord gave me a handful of powerful devotions that are contained in an eBook, Spiritual Musings from the Saddle of a Bicycle. I hope you’ll read it, and am sure you’ll be blessed by it.  

While this was the first collection of articles (devotions in this case), there are more in various stages of preparation. One is entitled Spiritual Musings from the Margins of a Bible. In it, I’ve included hundreds of snippets I’ve written in the margins of the Bible I’ve owned since 1981 — impactful words I’ve heard from the pulpit, Sunday School, and even some from the Lord in prayer. Needing proper formatting and layout, it should be available as an eBook soon.

I’m also working on a difficult series of articles entitled Spiritual Musings from the Headlines of a Newspaper. These comprise what I subtitle A Spiritual Toolbox for Christians Navigating a Culture of Lies. Each article is intended to be used to gently confront the lies of the enemy in the hot-button issues, e.g., gender identity, sanctity of life, skin color, and more topics that divide us as a culture and draw us away from God’s clear teachings. I start each one with a ludicrous story that no one would believe -- that is, until they realize they are believing the very same thing about themselves. The intent is for these pieces to serve as a logical challenge to various ungodly worldviews. I plan to share an example of one of these pieces in my February newsletter.

Finally, here’s some exciting news — I’ve been invited to read from Defined by Fire during the Word Weavers* Open Mic night Tuesday February 6th beginning at 5:00 PM MST. One doesn’t have to belong to Word Weavers to watch and listen on Zoom – these are open to the public. If you’re able, I’d love for you to join me by pre-registering for the event at:

            https://word-weavers.com/open-mic-night  

or you can go to the Word Weavers International website (http://word-weavers.com) and click on the popup box.

2/6/2024 Patricia Butler   Collision, How I Found My Life by Accident

2/6/2024 Mesu Andrews   In Feast or Famine

2/6/2024 John Rabins  Defined by Fire: Seven Life-Changing Lessons from Devastating Tragedy

*Founded in 1997, Word Weavers International is dedicated to providing a forum for Christian writers to critique one another’s work in a face-to-face format, whether in a traditional chapter or in Word Weavers’ unique online “pages,” so as to improve craft. Writers of all levels are welcome.

1. If you know of someone who’d appreciate keeping up with me, please refer them to my website, johnrabins.com, where they too can sign up for this newsletter.

2. If you’ve read any of my books, I’d be most appreciative if you’d leave an honest review on Amazon. One thing we learned at Blue Lake is the importance of asking for reviews, as Amazon alters their promotional algorithms as the review numbers grow. So, in advance – thank you for helping me out.



3. Pray for me, that I might hear clearly from God about what I am (and should be) writing.

Having been (properly) called a “Grammar Nazi,” I’ve collected t-shirts bearing inscriptions such as:

Let’s eat, Grandma!

Let’s eat Grandma!

Commas save lives!    and:

YOU HAD ME AT THE PROPER USE OF YOU’RE.

I saw this cartoon in the paper recently and just had to share it (I’m still giggling):

The Argyle Sweater by Scott Hilburn for December 30, 2023

As I close this inaugural newsletter, may God richly bless you and your families as we embark on a brand-new year. Be encouraged, as Isaiah and Paul remind us:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).



— my personal favorite Scripture verse — 

— on my bathroom wall —