wfn.org | Editorial: Reading makes words truly come alive

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      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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