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Taiwan Church News 3045 Edition July 5~July 11, 2010
Editorial: Reading makes words truly come alive
Translated by Lydia Ma
What is “communications ministry”? It’s the dissemination of words that nourish the human spirit, including confessions of faith, scripture verses, church doctrines, theological essays, devotional guides, church bulletins, and more.
The amazing power of communications ministries is that these words can touch readers’ hearts regardless of how much time has elapsed since they were first written.
But the power and influence of these writings can only be unleashed when someone reads these life-giving words. No matter how inspiring a book may be, if no one picks it up from a shelf and reads it, it’s just another piece of junk taking up space.
The following story is a good illustration of my point:
There was once an island that had a library filled with books. The librarian there cherished every book there and took time every day to take books from shelves, wipe them clean, and put them back on the shelf.
During a year when all of the island’s doctors were traveling abroad on vacation, a contagious disease spread like wildfire throughout the island, infecting countless residents.
Just when everyone was at their wit’s end in finding cures for this disease, the librarian recalled he’d seen a medical textbook on a shelf in his library. He quickly ran to the library, retrieved the book, and found a description of a disease with identical symptoms as those experienced by people on the island. The librarian proceeded to follow the guidelines given by the textbook and people soon recovered from the disease.
Did the librarian save the lives of residents living in this island? Yes, but to be more precise, it was the words in that medical textbook that saved their lives. When medical advice is written down and then read by someone who needs to have this knowledge, lives are saved as result.
In the same way, when God’s words are recorded through many books or articles written by Christians, but nobody takes the time to read them, then, all efforts by Christian writers and publishers are in vain.
PCT is a pioneer in communications ministry in Taiwan, with a legacy spanning more than 100 years. Presently, we sense more than anything else that more effort must be directed at nurturing a habit for reading among our younger generations.
One educator from National Central University said that reading not only increases knowledge, but also boosts reading ability. The more a person reads, the more he becomes a better reader and a well-informed person.
How does this observation apply to Christians and their spiritual development? We could say that whether a Christian reads Scripture or Christian works are important keys to spiritual growth and maturity.
Furthermore, for communications ministries to do what they’re meant to do, we need more people to read Christian works and in so doing, witness a transformation in their lives.
As we approach communications ministries Sunday, we acknowledge our need for your prayers and financial support. But this year, we’re also keenly aware that nurturing a reading generation is just as important and pressing. After all, it’s through reading that words can truly come alive.
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