What is your morning routine? Once I pry my eyes open, I stumble down the steps to make coffee. I'm not really awake until the 5th sip. I make a bowl of cereal and then sit down to catch up on the news. Later in the day I check back every so often to see what's going on in the world.
Yesterday I caught a quick sound bite about an atheist movement. Today I googled "American Atheist". There were 2,150,000 results. I couldn't believe the stories of their determination. They have shopping sites where you can buy things like Anti-religious t-shirts and heathen (their words not mine) mugs. No wonder there have been so many lawsuits and personal attacks. They want to rid America of any and all religious ties. Their Christmas motto is "Atheist are the reason there's reason." Their bumber sticker boasts, "Atheism - there's no substitute for being right."
Lately I've felt under attack. Not just on a global level, but on a personal level as well. The big bad wolf seems to be knocking close to home and it's more than intimidating. Perhaps now I know why. There is a movement to strip this country of our freedom of religion.
I went to my knees. I am convinced that the Christian Faith is facing it's biggest fight yet. I have enjoyed the religious freedom in this country and losing it isn't something I want to live through. I asked God to show me His will for me during this time.
I thought about all the things I could do to fight for my religious freedom. Everything I thought about had consequences. If I joined a march - we could be stopped or jeered or even physically attacked. In some places if I stood in a pulpit and spoke strongly against evil, I could be sued. Many churches are facing lawsuits because they took a stand on sin. If I expressed my feelings to a co-worker I could be sued or even arrested. We all know the consequences of sharing the gospel in public. The week-end headlines boasted about a woman who was kicked off a bus for reading the Bible to her daughter. I read another account where a person going door to door witnessing was beaten. We aren't even allowed to discipline our children in public.
Fear gripped my heart. I prayed for people who are athetist but are my friend. I prayed for the division that may be looming ahead. I prayed for my own timid heart. What can I do to stop this horrible trend? What is the best thing to do? Should I just keep quiet, attend church and pray for our country? Once again I asked God to show me His will.
What is the one priceless freedom that so far has not been stopped? Writing - The printed word - freedom of expression - freedom of the press. This country does not burn or ban books.
Individuals or groups might ban books - but the government does not. Thank God we still have a governmental policy that freedom of the press must be preserved. We may not be able to preach it from a pulpit, but writing it in a book can't be stopped. We may not sell a lot of books and we may be attacked verbally on a talk show, but printing will continue. Lawsuits may try to stop the printing presses, but most of the time printing continues - and controversy even increases sales. Even better - Atheist can't open the door to book banning because we would also be allowed to ban their material.
"The Pen is mightier than the sword." Not only is it unstoppable, it is powerful. Reading changes hearts. Reading gets inside you and haunts you. Reading changes lives.
It seems to me that if a person wants to change the world, he should write.
Write with conviction.
Write with purpose.
Write as if the future depends on your words.
As I closed my eyes to pray again all I could see was this great army of men and women. An army carrying only one tool....the printed word. As we write fiction and non-fiction we change this world one reader at a time. We open his heart just a crack so God's light can shine in. The next writer widens the crack and the next and the next.
Once this great army forms we can change the world. Don't you agree? Send me an e-mail and let me know how you feel.
Will you join God's army and help spread the gospel through your written words?
He's waiting....
God loves you and has called you to write,
Debbie
No comments:
Post a Comment