“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men,” (Matthew 4:19 NKJV).
I attend writers’ conferences whenever I can. Since I write in the inspirational (Christian) genre, I prefer to visit Christian conferences to catch up on industry news and trends. But occasionally, I’m invited to speak at secular writers’ conferences, where I find myself in a parallel universe that has omitted my Jesus.
The atmosphere at secular conferences doesn’t provoke feelings of unification with the other attendees to spread the gospel via the written word but rather stiff competition and jealousy. With sharing the gospel of Christ as my motivation for writing (not money or fame like most there), I found the general attitude completely different. Super competitive. Cutthroat.
I was astounded at the last secular conference I attended when I was asked what type of books I write, and I had to explain what a devotional was. When I mentioned that Amish fiction seems to be perpetually strong in the marketplace, nobody had a clue. “The Amish write fiction?” someone asked.
But the coup de grace was when someone made the shockingly flippant statement, “Lord, save us from your followers!”
Gulp. That would be me.
I felt so uncomfortable that I slipped away, pretending to go to the bathroom.
Something is wrong with this picture. It occurred to me that in taking the gospel into all the (nonbelieving) world, I’m supposed to feel uncomfortable. Discomfort is inevitable when you’re rowing your boat upstream against the current. If all I ever do is paddle around my own peaceful pond in Christian world, I won’t be able to fulfill the Great Commission.
After all, if we’re trying to catch fish, we must go where the fish are.
Do you find a similar conundrum in your field of work? How do you handle it? Is there such a thing as being too immersed in Christian world?
“Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you,” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV).
