Closer: Spiritual Reflections for Writers & Thinkers

By Molly Ovenden

Closer: Spiritual Reflections for Writers and Thinkers helps people of faith grow closer to God through the acts of writing and thinking, so that they can live full, authentic lives as the person who they are made to be.

Closer is a collection of essays about every day events where I experienced the

• Language: English
• Publisher: Molly Ovenden Creativity LLC
• Release date: May 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9798986053417

Molly Ovenden

Molly Ann Ovenden is a British American originally from Minnesota. From 2010 to 2017, she lived in West Yorkshire, England, with her bearded furniture-making Englishman husband, Max. They moved to Northern Minnesota in 2017. Molly is a creative writing coach who helps people become the writers they've dreamed of being through courses, community and coaching. When she's not writing or coaching, she's reading, laughing, smiling, eating, drinking tea and coffee, painting, daydreaming, training for a marathon, doing yoga, or going for circular walks.

Book preview

Closer

Spiritual Reflections for Writers & Thinkers

Molly Ovenden

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Molly Ovenden Creativity, LLC

Closer: Spiritual Reflections for Writers & Thinkers

Copyright © 2022 Molly Ovenden

Visit the author’s website at mollyovenden.com

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

For permission requests and ordering information, contact: [e-mail]

Cover Photo by Matt LaVasseur on Unsplash

Cover Design by Molly Ovenden

ISBN 979-8-9860534-0-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-9860534-1-7 (EBook)

Dedication

God, this book is for You. A labor of love. An exercise in faith. A step closer toward You. 

To all women and men from every walk of life who’ve ever walked on this earth no matter what their background or geographic location is, this book is for you. I pray you’d feel God’s love wrapping you up. 

To all who hear, hear this; to all who see, see this: be blessed, for you are loved by the Most High God. 

AMEN.

Scan this QR code and head on over to grab a copy of your free Questions for Reflection journal pages to help you write, reflect, and think while you read this book.

Scan this QR code and head on over to grab a copy of your free Questions for Reflection journal pages to help you write, reflect, and think while you read this book.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

P.S. A Note About the Cover

Foreword

1. On Dreaming

2. On Fathers

3. On Pomegranates

4. On Cleaning the Toilet

5. On Gardening

6. On Water

7. On Timers

8. On Colorado Peaches

9. On Breathing

10. On Shooting and Guns

11. On Broccoli Sunshine

12. On Exploding Dishes

13. On the Mile Run

14. On Mud

15. On Weightlifting

16. On Tea

17. On The Pill

18. On Treats

19. On Fire

20. On Thank You Notes

21. On Shampoo

22. On My Two Front Teeth

23. On Boiling Water

24. On the Man in the Red Jacket

25. On Lightning Bolts and Limousines

26. On Calling Automated Phone Lines

27. On Ants

28. On Rascal

29. On the Whistling Man

30. On Baby Washcloths

INDEX: Verses

About the Author

Acknowledgements

First, thank You LORD, for allowing me this opportunity to do something I love: write. 

Second, thank you to my dear sweet husband, Max; you are so kind and patient to accept me in all of my creative mess; thank you for all of your encouragement. 

Third, thank you to the many people who have continually asked me about this book to hold me accountable. There are so many of you. 

Fourth, thank you to my mom and best friend, Maggie Cedarberg; I thank God for you and how you always lift me up and encourage me; listen to me process loads of ideas and possibilities; listen to what I’ve written no matter what stage it is; and thank you for encouraging me from the beginning of my life to read and write and do so many creative things. Thank you. You are my favorite, Mumsies. 

​​Fifth, thank you to my editors, Mark and Diana Betzold. As you know, I have so many words to say. You stepped in when I needed your support. With patient wisdom and kindness you’ve helped me persevere with courage and to be who I want to be as a writer, finishing strong.

Last, but not least, thank you to Susie Larson who took me by the hand, prayed for me, and looked me square in the eyes, first in person, then in pixels at the 2019 and 2020 Northwestern Christian Writers Conference. You told me I could get my book into the world. Thank you for leading with such courage and resilient faith.

Introduction

Hello Lovely Reader,

Thank you tremendously for picking up a copy of this book. I genuinely believe God will touch your heart, for I’ve had you all in mind from the time I began writing this book. 

A couple of notes on the title, Closer: Spiritual Reflections for Writers and Thinkers. Faith is important to me, and if it’s important to you, too, then we share this desire to grow closer to God. If faith isn’t important to you in this season, you’re also very welcome to join in. I’m so glad you’re here. This book is a place for me to share some of my story with you, offer an opportunity to realize you’re not alone in your life, and allow you space to reflect on what I’ve shared and how it might apply to your life. As a writer and thinker myself, I have lots of words—always! I hope you may be inspired by my stories to reflect and write some of your own, with God’s help.

Throughout the book, I use a variety of characteristics of God as names for Him. I relate to God in a variety of ways. He is my Friend, Savior, LORD, King, Lover of my soul and so much more. Because of who God is I long to be closer to Him. 

I wanted to take this collection of spiritual reflections a step further than some books I’ve encountered (and thoroughly enjoyed!) and try to encourage you not only in your faith journey, but in your own writing journey, too. Within the pages of Closer: Spiritual Reflections for Writers and Thinkers, you will find short readings with scripture, prayers, and questions to encourage and empower you to reflect on your personal life and challenge you to grow in your faith and relationship with God, and help you write your story with Him as you grow and transform into the writer and person you’re made to be.

Additionally, I’ve provided journaling pages with writing prompts to allow you space to write your responses to the questions, take notes, doodle, write your own prayers to God, or begin to write your own life story of growing closer to God.

With regard to the writing prompts, I encourage you to try setting your timer for 10 minutes to respond to a prompt. In my experience working with individuals who desire to be writers, this increment of time is achievable and allows the opportunity for writers to be effective in getting ideas out at a good pace, while practicing overcoming their inner critic. 

I’ve written this book in a way that gives you a glimpse into my life—a real woman desiring to follow a real God: Jesus Christ. God has spoken to me on many occasions about things in my life, teaching and touching me through everyday situations and objects I encounter. Each time I’ve written something new, reread, or rewritten something, these same stories