The Quiet Quill

Jan 12
3 min

When Caring Is Inconvenient

It's remarkably easy to give someone the impression that we care about them. We all know the proper protocol: paint our faces in the right shade of empathy with just a stroke of melancholy, give hugs when the moment demands it, promise prayers, leave our friend with that oh-so-vague offer of, "If you ever need anything . . ." before going about our lives and promptly forgetting. I know, it sounds callous when worded that way. Maybe it is. Or maybe it's true. This phenomenon h

14 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Nov 10, 2020
2 min

Constellations

Since making the spontaneous decision to start a brand new project for National Novel Writing Month, I've been thinking a lot about constellations. And relationships. And family. And how they all connect. It's a project I've been mentally preparing for months, but didn't think I was anywhere close to actually drafting. See, I'm the type of gal who likes to have her ducks in a row before the cursor hits the Google Doc—and I mean all in a row. I usually wait for months before I

4 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Nov 3, 2020
3 min

NaNoWriMo and Me

It's National Novel Writing Month, and I'm a roiling blend of nerves and excitement and dreams of a finished product by the end of one month. And "dreams" is probably the right word—the chances of me actually writing a 50 000-word manuscript in 30 days are slim, but all the same, it's an exciting time of year, and my first time doing a November NaNoWriMo project. Over the past few months, writing has been difficult for me. My WIP series has hit some roadblocks I didn't antici

7 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Sep 8, 2020
3 min

Applause for The Pilgrim's Progress

There are some stories we fancy we know so well that we don't bother to pick up the book—and for a long time, for me, that was The Pilgrim's Progress. It wasn't until a recent book thrifting excursion, when I found a stunning cloth-bound edition, that I finally set out to follow Christian on his pilgrimage to the Celestial City from beginning to end, once and for all! I'd been putting it off for years, and having experienced different versions of it (from storybook renditions

10 views0 comments

Realm Makers Writers Conference (and why it was awesome)

nikiflorica

Jul 7, 2020
2 min

Self-Hatred: That Dark Indulgence

To indulge, by definition, is to "allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of" something. And it really can be anything. We tend to think of it in terms of chocolate or entertainment, but the rules are much broader than that. In fact, we can indulge in things that, on the surface, may seem completely unpleasant. Self-hatred is one of them. In a recent Sarah Young devotion on judging, I was struck hard with a warning against "indulg[ing] in self-hatred." It may seem counter-intuiti

22 views0 comments

The Importance of Peace: Why Do We Need It?

nikiflorica

May 26, 2020
2 min

Wait for It, Wait for It . . .

"Waiting" carries so many connotations—tension, expectation, worry, time, patience, impatience, hope, fear—but if we're being completely honest with ourselves, it usually isn't a discipline that comes easily or enjoyably to us. It's true that waiting, at times, can make the final product sweeter: waiting for a wedding day, for example, or waiting for the ability to go to the grocery store and take as much time as you need to get whatever you need whenever you need. In that wa

14 views0 comments

One Step, One Decision, One Challenge at a Time

nikiflorica

May 12, 2020
2 min

One Step, One Decision, One Challenge at a Time

When we travel, we tend to plan. That's just good old-fashioned thinking ahead. We may not know exactly what each leg of the journey will look like, but it's important to know that at Copperfield Street we'll take a left, then a right past Fred's Furniture, then another right and a left at the old apple tree outside the city limits, and so on. We're planners. It's a human trait, and a part of it resonates with all of us, even those of us who may not view ourselves that way. W

18 views0 comments

Shout It, Sing It, Weep It If You Have To

nikiflorica

Apr 28, 2020
2 min

Shout It, Sing It, Weep It If You Have To

It's one thing to be convicted and motivated by a devotion. It's quite another to seize that conviction and follow through when the trials come. I write from experience: how many beautifully-articulated devotions have I read on the subject of trust, only to despair the moment I felt a tremour in the ground beneath my feet? Trust is tricky. It requires an understanding of our lack of control before it can be activated, but sometimes we might be fooled into thinking that trust

14 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Apr 7, 2020
2 min

Change of Plans

Well, at 7:00pm today by my calendar, I would have been conducting a signing/reading/meet-and-greet at The Bookshelf in downtown Guelph . . . were it not for the current COVID-19 situation. I must confess, I'm pretty fortunate in that self-isolation has not (thus far) thrown many horrendous wrenches in my year. Others are suffering far more crushing disappointments as COVID-19 shuts down even the best-laid plans, but there is still a part of me that wishes I had waited, inste

26 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Mar 24, 2020
2 min

Look at the Birds

These are exceptional, surreally strange times, but maybe it takes an exceptional, surreally strange time to get our undivided attention, and take us back to the basics. Lots of people are anxious about the government's decisions regarding COVID-19, some criticizing social distancing initiatives or diminishing the virus in resistance to emergency measures. It's understandable—making these kinds of cataclysmic changes means huge impacts on all our lives, especially on financia

15 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Feb 25, 2020
2 min

Children of Light

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light. ~Ephesians 5:8 This verse is short but packs a lot of punch, and maybe that's why I love it. The Bible is indisputably poetic, but it's also filled with verses like this—passages that drive to the heart of our calling, our mission as followers of Christ. Pursuing Christ means, by its very nature, being transformed by him. It is impossible to throw oneself into the abysmal wellspring o

10 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Feb 11, 2020
2 min

The Rest of the Way

"The Lord's gotten you this far, He'll take care of you the rest of the way." These words glowed from the page of Frank Peretti's, This Present Darkness, to warm me with a much-needed burst of spiritual strength. No matter what path we're on, no matter how difficult the road has been, there's no question that whatever progress we have made is due to God's strength and guidance. Hindsight shows us that each trial we endure can work good in the world and in our lives, and after

7 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Jan 14, 2020
2 min

Verse of the Month: The Armour of Light

The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. ~Romans 13:12 Something about the turning of the year just fills us with that burning resolve, that steadfast hope that starting now, something will be different. New beginnings are exciting. They're rejuvenating. No matter how terrifying the first step of a journey may be, there always seems to be an underlying thrill that gives us the courage w

10 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Oct 29, 2019
2 min

OT Truth: Facing Attacks for the Faith

Jeremiah 28—a verbal showdown between the prophet Jeremiah and false prophet Hananiah son of Azur. I'm sure Jeremiah had constant dealings with the warm-and-fuzzy prophets of his time, men who preached peace and prosperity in a time of extreme sinfulness in Judah. Why this is one of the few accounts in which we see their interaction, I can't say. All I know is that in this passage, Jeremiah exemplified a self-control that I found remarkable. Jeremiah's life was mottled with s

19 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Oct 8, 2019
2 min

A Matter of Truth

Truth is such a tricky thing—at least, it has been since the world got a hold of it. Once upon a time it was really very simple. Someone could be lying, we’d say, “Tell the truth,” and they would know without question what we meant. The facts. The reality. Today, when one says, “Tell the truth,” the other can say, “Which truth? Yours or mine?” It’s a burden that’s rested heavily on me lately: the idea that this world has lost its truth. Not only are there thousands of confli

8 views0 comments

NIKI FLORICA

When Caring Is Inconvenient

Constellations

NaNoWriMo and Me

Applause for The Pilgrim's Progress

Realm Makers Writers Conference (and why it was awesome)

Self-Hatred: That Dark Indulgence

The Importance of Peace: Why Do We Need It?

A Tribute to Papa

Wait for It, Wait for It . . .

One Step, One Decision, One Challenge at a Time

Shout It, Sing It, Weep It If You Have To

Change of Plans

Look at the Birds

Children of Light

The Rest of the Way

Verse of the Month: The Armour of Light

OT Truth: Facing Attacks for the Faith

A Matter of Truth