coach - T&R Independent Bookstore

Posted on May 30, 2023May 30, 2023 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

God’s Call is a Journey

God’s call is a journey, no matter the nature of His call. In this instance, it is a call to write.

God’s Call is a Personal Journey

My call came while reading my devotions one morning in the year 2000. It immediately became a call to write, thus beginning my journey as an author. It was a highly personal and often rocky journey. I virtually had no idea how to write, other than a few grammar rules.

It is a Journey of Faith

When we asked God into our life it was a step of faith. Every time we obey God it is a step of faith. A journey is made up of a lot of steps. God doesn’t entrust His entire plan for our lives at the very beginning. We need to be taught.

He enables us, however. His Holy Spirit entered our new hearts, slammed the door shut, and sealed it. Not to prevent Him from leaving, but to block anyone, including the Devil, from entering in.

But the Devil has a not-so-secret ally in our Flesh. Our Flesh hears every prayer we make, every thought we have, and knows our every temptation. Thankfully, he doesn’t have the ability to directly speak to the Devil.

Unfortunately, the Devil and the Flesh do have a communication, of sorts. If the Flesh can perform certain body signals, the Devil can read them, and thereby know what’s going on. That is why, we have to be circumspect in our outward appearance, and actions.

Even so, the Holy Spirit can influence us directly, and we can communicate through Him in the name of Jesus to the Father directly. My life bears the scars of the Devil and the Flesh disrupting my plans, my commitments to God. But they cannot stop God’s Grace and His willingness to wrap me in His arms. God may chasten me betimes, but He always assures me of His love, and encourages me to press on in the calling that He has called me to.

I had been a Christian for 27 years when He called me to be a Christian author. I loved the Lord, had been serving Him most of that time, and had grown in Him. But it became evident I still had much to learn.

It Energized Me

That call came as I was reading the Genesis account of Noah and the Flood. While it was a firsthand account, it was basically a skeleton. It told only the basic facts. God didn’t give us His Word to entertain us, but rather for us to learn His Will. Thus, it provided me an opportunity to flesh out the skeleton and tell the story behind the story.

It is a Journey of Trust

Did I truly trust God?

As I began writing my first book, Refuge: The Genesis Chronicles, I leaned on God a lot. I have a great imagination, but putting it together required more than that. It required trusting His direction. So, God led me to a verse that has governed my writing career ever since. It is Psalm 78:18, and reads, “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come.”

Please note that at 57 years old, I was barely old enough to be qualified as ‘elderly’, I still had my red hair, and wasn’t receiving Social Security yet. The part of the psalm I identified with was, “O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come.”

My Journey Had a Vision

That verse motivated me, energized me, and focused me on a vision: to reach people through writing with the gospel!

That vision has carried me through rough patches. It kept me going, spurred my imagination, and opened doors I didn’t know existed. Moreover, it has been a very powerful motivator moving forward after my wife’s death. Only my faith in God and His comfort to me has been more important.

Over the extent of my career, I have written 9 novels, 4 doctrinal books, a how-to book, and others. I have also designed a writers course to help new and not-so-new writers become the authors they want to become. All of this and I am planning more books plus at least another course.

How do I do it? I have God’s enabling power. I have the following for a motto, Since God called me, and has enabled me, I can and will do His will. That motto is rather new, and it encompasses all areas of my life!

Do You Have a Call to Write?

If you do, then it is your prime motivation and should be your constant reminder that you can succeed because God has called and enabled you.

More on this subject in God’s Call is a Journey part 2.

Posted on June 9, 2022June 9, 2022 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

Blog by Ron – How to Expand Your Skills

Do you know how to expand your skills?

God has a Canvas to Work On

When I was born into this world, I carried with me certain talents. But when I received Christ as my Savior, I received new talents. I believe that when I got saved, I had a blank canvas. Up until that moment, I was working on the old canvas which was dirty and torn. But He gave me a new canvas.

It is like He took whatever was good and put it on the new canvas, then He discarded the old. Then, He goes to work on the new canvas which now includes good talents and interests that I was born with, cleans them up, and teams them with the new talents He had given me on my new or second birth.

God has Gifted Us

God has gifted everyone who has accepted His Son and gotten saved into the family of God. It is too bad the media and Hollywood has so distorted what it means to be a child of God. We are all creations of God, but only those that have been born again are His children.

Back to the Gifts. His gifts are perfect, but they are not complete. He gifted us with the purpose of us using and developing those gifts every day. Athletes, such as football players, need to be coached, to exercise, and practice to perfect their skills. Well, so do Christian authors.

More on the other side of this break.

T&R Independent Books brings you this blog post to keep you informed on the issues of today. Authors need to stay informed so that they can relate to their readers facts as well as entertain them with their imagination.

It’s Your Business is a Basic Writing Course that explains and guides you into becoming an author. Powered by video along with PDFs and Coaching you learn the basics of writing. Sign up is Coming Soon and Class will start shortly afterward. Watch for the headline ‘Authors Basic Training Open for Registration now’.

To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond.

Check us out and get your career moving.

Now back to the article.

Tools to Expand Your Skills

We live in a highly competitive world making it difficult to succeed in any field. Well, the field of writing is no exception. But, as Christians, we have a God who can and will direct us to the proper tools to use.

For years I was a gatherer, which is a person who just gathers or absorbs new information like a sponge. I had a great deal of knowledge but not the discernment to detect how to use that knowledge. It is for guys like men that God provides tools.

More Tools to Expand your Skills

The Bible provides numerous tools, such as:

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety (Prov. 11:14)
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels (Prov. 1:5)
Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established. (Prov. 15:22)

This is a very important tool. For years I gathered information from a variety of sources, but I kept my own counsel. Don’t get me wrong, as a Christian I was following Biblical guidelines. The problem was that while all the sources at least seemed good, they didn’t necessarily agree.

So, the first thing to do is to be more selective in who your counselors are. That is a prime reason for why I am a member of Christian Authors Community. These are authors who all love the Lord and want to serve Him.

How Do I Use Counselors Wisely?

Well, if your counselors are Christians, and I mean born-again believers, then you have a solid resource. Know your counselors.

You do not have to agree on all doctrinal issues. We are not talking about church or how to serve within the church. But it does help to know their doctrinal beliefs in that it will help you understand their actions and advice.

These are Counselors, but it is Your Business

Listen to the advice, write it down. Then ask, Does it fit who I am as a Christian? Or Does it fit within the calling of God? Does it fit within my goals? In other words, is the advice or information usable in your particular writing career.

Asking questions like that helps focus your attention on the advice itself and upon the leading of God. I mentor in spiritual matters and one thing I constantly harp on is that we need to put God first. Same thing for business.

Not just in words, but to seek His will. To trust His leading. Just as He puts you into a particular church where you can grow and serve, He also puts you into positions and places where you can learn and develop your craft. These are all tools that God provides.

And if used properly, then you will benefit more from the tools mankind provides.

How to Find Good Counselors that can Expand Your Skills

That is a much harder question. I didn’t find good counselors or coaches on my own. Rather he came calling. I say he because it is Tom Blubaugh, but he has a community called Christian Authors Community, so there you have many. I recommend them to anyone. Different authors are experts or at least have solid experience in different aspects of authoring.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

Don’t forget to comment below. We are always interested in your opinions. And to make sure you get our blogs, simply check the box that says, Notify me of new posts via email.

Company information:

T&R Independent Bookstore is a division of T&R Independent Books founded in 2014 by R. Frederick and Tess Riddle. TR Ministry, aka Ministry Services, is both a charge and an exciting outreach to the Christian Community.

Posted on April 19, 2022April 14, 2022 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

Blog by Ron Do You Need a Coach?

Do you need a coach?

You are the final authority on that question but let me provide you with a few reasons you may need a coach. Here is a partial list: You are

new to writing
hitting a wall
Unsatisfied with the book
thinking about quitting
dejected because your book has been rejected
in need of direction
not seeing your books sell
frustrated
are aware of what’s wrong with the manuscript but you don’t know how to fix it.
experiencing other reasons

I have written over 12 books over a 19-year period. Do I need a coach? You might be surprised at my answer.

The answer is yes.

Why?

There are a number of reasons, but the primary reason is that when left to myself I get very critical. I have a lot of knowledge regarding writing, editing, and publishing, but not all of it is good or agreeable.

That produces anxiety which in turn causes temerity, hesitation. I determined several years ago that I needed help. I didn’t like the way my career was going nor did I know how to change it. Thus began a repeated prayer, Dear Lord, I need a mentor. A short prayer but a correct prayer.

Earlier this year I came in contact with another author who is also a coach. We connected and he started coaching me. Someday, perhaps soon, I will go in to the many ways he has coached me, but right now I just want you to see that though I had written over 12 books I still needed a coach.

Coach Assets

Does he know more than I do about writing? Perhaps, but that is not necessary.

Does he know more than I do about editing? Perhaps, but that is not necessary.

Does he know more than I do about marketing? Perhaps, but you get the picture.

When you watch a football game or a basketball game or any sport, your eyes are focused on the athlete. But if it is a professional sport then you can bet there is a coach involved. Is he more talented than the athlete? Most coaches of professional sports that I have seen are out of shape.

But his skill set is to draw the best out of the person he is coaching. And that is what a coach is for a writer.

Christian Coach

So, it can be argued that we all need coaches. Speaking as a Christian, I recommend that if you are a Christian, you should have a Christian mentor. Please note, I did not say Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, or any other denomination. It helps if you and your coach are of the same denomination. But the primary thing I am emphasizing is that your coach be as committed to Christ as you are at a minimum.

That can be difficult to learn, but if the two of you are talking to one another, then you should determine the fit rather quickly. I knew nothing of my coach’s denominational connection or his spiritual maturity. But as we talked about writing, I learned a great deal about his spiritual maturity simply by talking to him. I have since learned we are not the same denomination, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that he loves the Lord Jesus, is committed to serving Him, and operates within biblical boundaries.

Coach’s Advice

Another facet about an author is the advice he or she provides. I have greatly benefited from his advice. In case you are wondering who he is, his name is Tom Blubaugh and Christian Authors Community is the writers club he founded.

I will write more about the organization in the future.