Fully Booked
As I walked down the stairs at Blackwell’s in Oxford, I was lamenting the death of bookstores. Earlier that day I’d visited one in which the only books in the theology section were written by prominent New Atheists and I was anticipating much the same outcome here. Nothing could have readied me for the multi-tiered, seemingly unending chasm filled with bookshelves. It felt something like the mines of Moria scene from the Fellowship of the Ring1—I think there might have even been a wizard somewhere quoting from a dusty tome. After finding and purchasing a couple of books I struggled to find the exit. It felt like home, which is no doubt the nerdiest thing I’ve ever written.
Books, sentences, and words in and of themselves are not what makes a library precious though. I lived in Berlin when the Hobbit Movies were being released and during the European Premiere, they unveiled a giant sculpture of Smaug ascending from beneath an impossible multitude of gold coins and other treasure. As beautiful as it looked if I’d broken off one of the coins it would have been worth no more than the plastic it had been made with. As a writer, I do two things every day:
I read
I write
I consume words and I pour new ones out. My hope is that when I read I will not only attain knowledge but also absorb the wisdom of the author. When I write, my hope is that the reader will not only learn from my own words but also follow my eye-line and look to the one whose words once spoke everything into existence. In that bookstore, there were more words than could ever be read, and in the mines of Moria, there was more Gold than could ever be spent. Moria came to ruin and so one day will Blackwell’s. As you read the articles from this past week, look not only to attain knowledge that will one day fade away but to grow both in wisdom and also in your understanding of the Lord Almighty
Adsum Try Ravenhill is married to Anna and together they are passionate about seeing young men and women discipled within the context of the local church. You can find Adsum through his writing at The Raven’s Writing Desk and alongside Anna as the co-host of the Consider the Ravens Podcast, you can also find Adsum’s articles for GCD here.
Articles of the Week
Hearts Painted by The Word Again And Again
Courtney Yantes
The first time I read through the entire Bible, cover to cover, it took me 570 days. Verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book, I eventually made my way through. Methodically and steadily, I was determined to read it in its entirety. Some parts did not make sense or did not seem relevant, but I kept reading. Some parts seemed contradictory or perplexing. I kept reading.
Rejecting A Binary Mindset About Missions
Adapted from Is the Commission Still Great?
Steve Richardson
When it comes to ministry decisions, we need to resist simplistic, binary conclusions and focus on nurturing a healthy ecosystem so that we keep the big picture of the Great Commission in view and pursue it actively. If we embrace a biblical vision of reaching every people group, then we can bring other parts of our lives into alignment with that overarching purpose, including ministry to our families and our communities.
Poll of the Week
The GCD Writer’s Guild
Here at GCD, we run a small social network catered to Christian writers. As a writer myself, I know that it can often feel like a thankless and solitary task, and it sometimes leads me to believe the lie I must be the only one experiencing that. If you’re a writer and you feel like that too, the GCD Writer’s Guild is for you. We provide regular writing prompts, we help each other by providing critique, and we champion and cheer on the work of other writers in the Guild. We welcome writers of every level, from communicators who are just getting started to published authors. Our aim is to encourage and help each other in saying what is good, truthful, and beautiful and to create a culture that glorifies Christ. If you’d like to join, or you simply want to know more, click here for more details:
A few months ago I mentioned that as a Christian publication we’re legally bound to reference Tolkien and C.S. Lewis at least once a year each, that was called foreshadowing.