“Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the beauteous land.”
So I haven’t posted for a week, but I promise to write at (the very) least a post a week, no matter how small to keep practicing thought to pen.
Little by little, we hone in the skill of crafting sentences: short and sweet, terse and succinct. Because “clutter is the disease of American writing.” Any writing coach will tell you practice makes perfect. I read about a famous screenwriter who wouldn’t sleep unless he wrote at least 1000 words a day. He kept his resolution. And he went on to win an Oscar for best screenplay.
However, as an aside, we shouldn’t forget in God’s eyes content trumps form. Good form is just the means to communicate the thoughts. So we cannot neglect Bible reading and prayer. Good (personal) Bible studies produces good, deep, and edifying thoughts (cf. Php 2:8-9). Writing those thoughts well though, will only come with practice.
The Bible echoes the principle of doing our part for successful ministry. From the parable of the talents, we see the ones who invested themselves were eventually given even more talents. (Isn’t that nice? The more you _____, the better you’ll _____. Fill blank with a holy work.) In Galatians 6:7, we see the law of the harvest–we reap what we sow. In many Bible accounts, we see that God’s mighty works accompanied elements of human effort–for human action is the indicator of faith and trust in God. Remember, Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase (1 Cor 3:6). Human effort and God’s abidance go hand-in-hand. So, we really have to do our part.
Certainly per se, God does not need us to serve as channels of His great works. But that’s why servitude is such a blessing. We, of all creatures, fallen and all, can be part of God’s salvation plan. How wonderful is that opportunity? And how richly will we be undeservedly repaid in eternity? So when it comes to any form of church work, it’s wise to always try our best, keep working on improving, and not be fearful of doing a poor job.
So, for those interested in contributing to Literary Ministry, it basically comes down to Bible reading, prayer, Psalm-1-like meditation, and writing, writing, writing.