Penned Without Ink

Welcome to Penned Without Ink, a blog about story. 

Everyone has a story. A unique one-of-a kind story. Penned without ink, your story and mine resemble a book in process. The people with whom we rub shoulders read our stories every day as they observe our behavior and interact with us.

This concept isn’t new. A converted Jewish leader by the name of Paul scrawled a letter to a small group of new Christians in the ancient city of Corinth. I wonder if they eagerly gathered around the courier (Titus) as he read: 

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:2, 3). 

The lives of these Corinthians spoke transformation from the inside out. Formerly worshipers of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, they embraced faith in Christ alone for salvation. Their penned-without-ink-stories caught the attention of their families, friends, and neighbors who could “read” the difference. No letter of commendation could top the credibility of the gospel when revolutionized lives were “known and read” in the marketplace, at home, and in their worship.

I want this same transformation to make a difference in my story. Every day. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what J. I. Packer wrote in his book Your Father Loves You. “God . . . guides our minds as we think things out in His presence.” It seems to me this is a vital link in the process of inviting God to author our life-stories.

Posts on Penned Without Ink will feature stories, books, poetry, and responses to what God impresses on the pages of my story. I hope you’ll join me as the plot progresses. Together, may we grow in our trust in the Master-Writer.

Special thanks to my daughter who spent hours patiently clicking away with me to set up Penned Without Ink. Love you, Jana.