Finding Refuge

I just submitted an article to a publication called Alive Now for Upper Room Ministries. I hope it gets accepted! The article is for their November/December magazine so it will probably be some time before I find out if they want my article. The theme requested was to write about refugees.

My article is called Finding Refuge. As I began to research what I wanted to write in keeping with the request, "how our understanding of ourselves as refugees has been shaped by and helped to shape our ministry" I came across a quote from Paradise Lost. Milton stated “Rocks, dens, and caves! But I in none of these Find place or refuge.”. It's interesting that you can find shelter, but not find refuge there. My take on the theme was to discuss understanding the desire of the refugee (which I depicted as people looking to be served by ministry) is key to understanding what is necessary to provide refuge (ministry) as a church. We cannot begin to serve those in need simply by being what WE think they need. Until the true needs of their heart are discovered, the refugee will not FIND refuge. Although I think they wanted something a little more Christmasy and coming from another angle, I hope they will see the message I think I was supposed to convey. Who knows. It's definitely in God's hands now to do with it as He pleases.

I wanted to try my hand at doing freelance work just to see if I can get any takers. I won't post it here until I hear back from them about whether posting submitted articles on my blog violates any publishing rights they have if they accept and pay for the article. But I'm excited. It was challenging writing what someone else is looking for. I've only written about things that bounce around in my head. So keeping it at 500 words and about someone else's topic was new for me!