“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the one
that trusts in him.”
Psalm 34:8
Today my editor and I plan to put the finishing touches on
the Afterword of my new book, Experimental
Christianity. It will then be ready to put on the market. Sometime in the
near future, we will throw it a launch party—you’re invited! It’s a good
feeling—completing a new book always is, and yet, this one is different. It is
less exciting and more satisfying.
The reason is that this is the first book I’ve done which I
still do not feel qualified to have written. Before I even started on it, in my
mind, I could already hear the voices of the detractors.
“Just who do you think you are to judge? You’re no better
than me, what makes you think you’re so holier-than-thou?” And anyone saying
these things is correct. I am no better than the next guy and worse than most.
So, why write it?
The answer is simple enough, I had no choice but to write
it. This necessity to write was not because I signed a contract with a
publisher. It is because, in my heart, I have an agreement with my God. Am I
saying that God told me to write the book? Yes. That God doesn’t seem to care
about my lack of scriptural insight, lack of writing talent, or my lack of
spiritual depth amazes me.
I’ve spent most of my Christian experience trying to figure
out what God is doing. I don’t really even try to discern why He’s doing it.
That’s too far beyond me. Seems that all I can do is scratch my head in wonder.
I just don’t know any better than to take my best shot and pray it works out.
“Woe is me if I preach not the gospel!” That’s what the
apostle said. I think I see a shadow of what he was talking about.
The upside is that people love slapstick comedy. We love to
see the guy step on the rake and get whacked between the eyes with the handle. I
do have that going for me. So, with a merry heart, I did what I could do. I
stepped on the rake hoping for something good to come from the reader’s
reaction. I think that’s how faith works, don’t you?
