Only amazing grace lets me do this – write and publish words and stories that may as easily have been found in publications a half-century ago. Judging by the steady downward trend of the culture, the Christian faith I express here is no longer relevant or important.
That’s why, as grateful as I am for them, I remain amazed that the secular newspapers that publish these columns and radio stations that carry Simple Words, this column’s little sister, have done so for so long.
Most major media, with its seeming intent to shock and appall, mocks inspirational writers like me. We refuse to pitch our tent in Camp Negativity or muck about in the Slough of Despond. We don’t report from courtrooms. We don’t court business tycoons, idolize sports icons, or enthuse over the latest wardrobe mishaps of underdressed, overpaid entertainers. We also don’t regurgitate global news.
Instead, in a world titillated by mayhem and bottomless standards, we (along with scores of Christ-followers) focus on the sunny side of the street, where hope and cheer live.
Fools, we are, some say. Who pays attention to words like that anymore? Nevertheless, here I sit. Telling timeless stories of home. Family. Relationships. Daring to spell out the everlasting truth of the Christian faith and demonstrate how it intersects with – even transforms – the common denominators of daily life. And there you sit – reading. Imagine. Aren’t we a funny bunch of coconuts?
At my town desk, I’m paid to remain aware of the latest worldwide news and national politics. But when I sit in my home office to write these words, when I ask God to inspire me to inspire you, this is what comes out. Faith and life, in the key of simple.
Clearly, that’s not for everyone, or the few books I’ve written would be bestsellers. But if it’s for you, thanks for reading. Please stay with me. Perhaps I write as much for myself as for you. To remind us all that even when life goes sideways (and mine does too, some days) the heart is not helped – and neither the world around us – by echoing the funeral dirge sung by those who have resigned themselves to living in a world of fear and despair. A world that has forgotten God.
Jesus Christ, (who was also neither relevant nor critical to his day’s culture), used simple words and told simple stories too. “Fear not,” he said to those who followed him, and “I am with you always – even till the end of the world.”
The world feels old. Weary. Ready to end. Almost daily, ancient Biblical prophecies are fulfilled. Fear mocks faith.
Yet Christ’s words, at least in my lifetime, have never proved so real or so precious. So as one of his followers, I will continue by his strength to write and live, not by fear, but by my faith in his promise to abide with us to the end. Will you, too?
