Anyone looking for entertainment can find it everywhere: television, streaming, social media. And, thankfully, books! With so much fun, we all must be discerning when choosing what to consume, and how to spend the portion of our time allotted to leisure.
To that end, recently I’ve chosen to spend some of my free time reading classic books I missed for one reason or another. Through this process, I’ve discovered numerous delightful books and authors. However, I can see why several weren’t placed on assigned reading lists in school. Some are depressing. Others are inexplicable. A few seem pointless. Many are misguided. These discoveries have been disappointing, but a reminder that not every book lives up to its reputation.
As for myself and my authors, we seek to honor the Lord with our work. Novelists write stories. Great stories. While readers may not see a Bible verse on every page, the plots reflect Christianity in viewpoint, problem-solving, resolutions, characters, and character.
By offering readers books that are reliably Christian, we help readers make their leisure time entertaining, encouraging, edifying, and enlightening. (I’m tempted to make a list of these “e” words now!)
Just because we’re writing from a Christian viewpoint doesn’t mean all our fiction can be classified as a “beach” read. Yes, we have lots of beach reads, and they’re super fun! Light and amusing books are harder to write than a reader may realize. But Christian fiction can also be deep and, thus, draw readers closer to the Lord. Certainly, we want none of our books to discourage readers in their walk, or cause stumbling. We aim to walk with our readers on the path with Him.
As followers of Christ, we hope to magnify Him with everything we do. When we choose to read books from authors who love the Lord, we honor the Lord with our leisure time.
Getting tough to write coherently. No tales to tell, just a sketch of a sketch.
***
It’s getting harder now to read,
and harder still to write.
I’ve lost track of my Facebook feed
and in this darkling night
when pain tears at each throbbing bone
to drive me to a bleak despair
there’s one thing, and one alone
to save me, and that’s Work As Prayer,
getting my now dim-flicker’d mind
into my hands, into each finger
to make and shape new ties that bind
me to my world that I may linger
in hope that though cancer has shattered
what I was, that I’ve still mattered.
You did matter. You still matter, Andrew. ((hugs)) and prayers!
Pam, thank you so much. It’s really hard now. Nights and days, caught in a maelstrom.
Andrew, you matter very much to us, and to many others. I’m praying for you.
Tamela, thank you for this.
I believe in the mission if the Steve Laube Agency. I do my best, to give a positive contribution.
Things are just so messed up now, with pain and other things! I wanna go Home, but God says stay the course.
God grant that I can work through them, to be a positive voice.
Yes, Tamela! Philippians 4:8, right?
Amen!
Thank you for this post. I appreciate this newsletter very much! The content always seems to contain the e-words mentioned above!!
Thank you, Daniel. I appreciate the encouragement!
This is true, Tamela, there are a lot of options out there that we can pour our time into. I prefer reading a good book. I’m excited to be one of your authors, and I enjoy writing from a Christian viewpoint.