Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Employment (01/26/12)
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TITLE: God's Megaphone | Previous Challenge Entry
By Rosamund Bunney
01/31/12 -
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I was given a gentle push – well no, actually, a hefty shove – in the form of redundancy from work. Forty job applications later I was no nearer to finding a new job. Someone whose book I am currently editing rang me to pray with me about my job. Half way through the prayer, he broke off and said, “The reason you haven’t found a job is that you aren’t meant to be working, you’re meant to be writing. God has given you a book to write and you already know what it is, and you’re just meant to be writing and trusting Him to provide for you.”
I was amazed, since he had no idea that two months earlier I had felt God was calling me to write a book based on John chapter four, had given me an outline, and I had written the first five thousand words. And so I stopped looking for work and wrote another thirty thousand words of the book.
On Wednesday this week I received a phonecall from the publisher of my first book – a school textbook. By the end of the call, I had agreed a deal for three more books and two dozen articles. It seemed God was certainly confirming that I was on the right path. Having been a part-time school teacher for many years, much of the material I needed for writing these books was contained in revision guides I had written, which were stored on the system at my old school. I contacted the Principal and asked to be allowed to retrieve the material I had written.
To my astonishment he replied on Saturday morning claiming that anything I had written during my time of employment at the school was copyright to them, and not only would they not allow me to access the revision guides which I had written, they would be seeking to claim back from me all the royalties I had been paid for my first book. As I pondered how to reply to this, it occurred to me that during my part-time working hours, all I had written was lesson plans and material. These revision books were written in my own unpaid time at home, and therefore I believe I own the copyright.
The dispute is yet to be settled – both my former employer and I are taking legal advice, and I am hoping that we can soon reach an amicable agreement. On the face of it, my livelihood may be about to be stolen from me, and I ought to be worried. But I’m not. If God has called me to do this work, I can trust Him to provide for me. So I went peacefully to bed on Saturday night, and that was when God took out His megaphone and made sure that I heard Him. I switched on the radio as I got into bed and it was in the middle of a hymn. The words I heard were,
“Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do
If with His love He befriend thee.”
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Second, this is a beautiful story, on topic and well written. I pray that your circumstances will be ironed out - and culminate into an amicable fashion for all parties concerned.
God Bless you - I will keep you in my prayers.
You're faith is inspiring, and this story was a joy to read.