PenWorks of the Word Final Remarks 2026 | Imperfectly Perfect

Greetings, 

Heritage Pumpkin Patch

Thank you for being here. 

This year, my wife and I were able to take most of our children to the pumpkin patch. The girls and I started in the corn maze, wandering through paths that looked right until they weren’t. Every turn felt like a guess. Every wrong direction sent us looping back. But even in the confusion, there was laughter, curiosity, and the simple joy of trying again.  

Then came the rock dig. The girls sifted through dirt and water, searching for emeralds and stones that didn’t look like much at first. But once the grit washed away, color and texture appeared. Something valuable had been hiding beneath the surface the whole time.  

After that, we walked through the pumpkin patch. Rows of pumpkins stretched across the field, each one shaped a little differently. Some were scratched. Some leaned. Some were small and bright. None were perfect, yet every one carried its own charm.  

And somewhere in the middle of all that, the light bulb moment hit. The maze, the rocks, the pumpkins. What I was seeing amid the fun moments with our daughters was a picture of the creative process.  

Some ideas show up like pumpkins in a field, already visible, already formed, and simply waiting to be picked up.  Imperfection is always there, but there is something about the moment that matters. 

Other ideas are buried. In order to find them, you have to sift through the mix of thoughts to find the valued stone and even occasionally that beautiful emerald. You have to dig deep, searching for the moment in the middle of the chaos. 

Still, some ideas come only when we are led down a different, unexpected path. We walk through the maze we create with our stories only to find out that God had another plan from the beginning. There is something about that hidden moment that just seems like the clear exit we’ve been searching for all along. 

• Writing takes us through winding paths where we feel lost for a while.  
• Writing asks us to dig for ideas that are buried and need patience to uncover.  
• Writing invites us to gather what grows naturally, even when it’s a little scuffed or uneven.  

That’s when imperfectly perfect settles in. Not as a slogan, but as a truth.  

As we close the PenWorks of the Word Tour, I want to honor that journey. The wandering. The digging. The gathering. The moment when clarity arrives. The courage it takes to keep going even when the path isn’t straight, the ideas aren’t polished, and the story doesn’t look perfect yet.  

Imperfectly perfect is the heart of creativity. It’s the way God shapes our stories. It’s the way He shapes us. As writers, we do this almost every day. So when several of us come together for a blog tour like this one, it brings connections across a genre that follows the same path.

We live and breathe, asking ourselves what's next. Where do we take things from here? How do we truly reach the people who are meant to find us? The answer, at least in my book, is the process. The adventure through the pumpkin patch we all find ourselves in as writers doesn't always give us what we expect, but it does lead us.

Imperfectly Perfect

Thank you to everyone who joined us this year. The 40+ winners from the KingSumo Giveaway have already been selected. We are already reaching out to them via email, so check your spam boxes. I look forward to seeing what happens next year.

See you in the pages, MJE

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Matthew (also known by his pen names M.J. Elliott and E.M. James) is an award-winning, dedicated writer with a deep passion for sharing the word of Christ. He is married and the proud father of three wonderful children who continually inspire his faith and creativity.

Matthew is a multi-genre author, including The Hope of Inheritance, which is a biblical fiction novel, and Nymera’s Song, which is a High Fantasy Short Story. His stories explore faith, redemption, perseverance, and the lives of those touched by the events of Scripture. Through his writing, He seeks to minister with love, equip others with encouragement, and help readers encounter God in real and meaningful ways.

Connect with Matthew: Matthews LinkTree