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Lesson Two: Living and Writing in Love
The First CWG Commandment
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and let that love precede all you do or say. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Every word you write shall be offered in a spirit of love and respect for your readers.
Preparation and Prayer
Bring to the meeting:
» A Bible and your 3-ring binder
» Results of your research from Lesson One
» The letter you wrote to the editor (enough copies for all)
As you open the meeting, pray:
» For the members of your group
» For your audience: the readers of your local paper
» For editors of your local paper (by name)
» Ask God to build in you a love for Him and His people.
Establishing the Vision: Love & Obedience Scripture: Matthew 22:37-39
The Great Commission can only be fulfilled through our loving desire to obey; it cannot be carried out by force. Living a life in love with our Lord enables us to be credible and effective witnesses to the world.
One cannot read the Judeo-Christian scriptures without discerning that the great theme throughout the history of God's relationship with man is LOVE. It is no mistake then, that Jesus told us the two greatest commandments concern loving our God and our neighbors. On these two commandments depend all the rest of the law. And it is no accident that the first and most important principle for members of a Church Writing Group is LOVE.
» Love of God and man is our MOTIVE;
» Loving obedience to his commands is our MESSAGE;
» Loving communication is our METHOD.
Love is our Motive
We are motivated by the love of God
I John 5:3 says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." In God's economy, LOVE=OBEDIENCE. We who love God must be prepared to obey all He has commanded and must be prepared to teach others who love him to do the same.
Our lord desires us to place Him above all else and love Him more than life itself. (Deut. 6:5) This produces intimacy with Him. (I John 3:23-24) Intimacy with our Lord also enables us to see the world and its problems more clearly through His eyes. As our love for Him deepens, the desire to teach others to obey grows as well.
We are motivated by the love of man
When Jesus looked at the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, "because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) Our God-given ability to see our readers through Jesus' eyes allows His compassion for His sheep to be contagious! We find ourselves caring so much for them that we cannot keep from following Jesus' command to make disciples.
Love is our Message
A recent Gallup Poll revealed that 94% of Americans believe in God. Even more significance is that 74% of Americans answered "yes" to the specific question, "Would you say you have made a commitment to Jesus Christ or not?" One could reasonably assume that these Americans "love" God. The moral chaos of our society, however, reveals that most of these professed believers are not living in obedience to His commands.
These Americans are believers, but they are not obedient believers. Our message, then, is to tell them that LOVE=OBEDIENCE. Even more, we need to convincingly show them what obedience requires in the specific situations confronting them right now. We must show the public that there are ideas they might never have considered, which are not only credible, but compelling.
Love is our Method
Pastor and writer Rick Lindholtz has said, "Our goal is discipling through writing, a task which can only occur in a setting of mutual respect and love." Our love for God's people will enable us to write graciously and effectively.
The Apostle Paul has given us the perfect model for loving communication in I Corinthians 13. Does your writing:
» Patiently communicate truth?
» Speak kindness to the reader?
» Communicate arrogance and pride?
» Sound unbecoming for a Christian?
» Seek to glorify yourself?
» Respond in anger or self-defense?
» Take pleasure in someone else's failure or misfortune?
» Rejoice in the truth?
» Communicate tolerance and forbearance?
» Offer hope and encouragement?
» Treat the reader like you would like to be treated? (Matt. 7:12)
Writing in love for our reader ensures that we will write with respect for their position, intelligence and worth to God.
Questions for Discussion:
» Read I Timothy 4:1-5, Hebrews 4:13 and 10:23-31. In light of these passages, describe the urgency of the mission to teach obedience to Christ's commands.
» Share what you discovered about your local print publications. What is their circulation? How many readers do they estimate read the paper? What departments and columns are open for submission? Keep this information in your notebook for future reference.
» From the above research information, discuss the discipleship potential of the secular media. Keep in mind that reader surveys reveal that 60-80% of newspaper readers read Letters to the Editor.
Perfecting Our Skills
Critique: 1 Corinthians 9:24
Every meeting should include time for critique of articles brought in by group members. This is an important element for your Church Writing Group and a procedure which requires careful exercise of the first CWG Command. When you critique, speak kindly, affirmingly, displaying the fruits of the spirit. Spur one another to excellence by encouraging clear, concise, and creative work.
Depending on the size of your group, you may not have enough time to critique every letter. Try limiting your critiques to five minutes per letter this time.
How to critique:
Just as Paul tells us to run the RACE in such a way as to win, we want to write in such a way to win the prize of making obedient believers out of our readers. As you examine each article for critique, follow the R.A.C.E. procedure:
Read: Have the author read aloud the article.
Assess: Take a few moments to highlight the strong points of the article. Do you understand what the author is saying? How well has a point been made? Also note which areas could use some more work. Pay attention to how well arguments are supported and whether scripture flows smoothly. Remember that you are only helping the writer to clarify his point, not trying to change his position.
Correct: Circle grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors if applicable. Make a few notes on your copy of the article and hand it back for later referral.
Edit: Make your writing concise and clear. Cut any unnecessary words or confusing thought. Remove any text that strays from the point.
Elements of a Letter to an Editor
Every Letter to the Editor has a basic limitation: space. Some writers see this as an undue burden; others like the challenge of keeping their letters short and succinct. A good Letter to the Editor usually follows a general formula:
1. Introduction of subject: Briefly (in one or two sentences) identify an issue headlining the daily news.
2. Define the issue for your readers, demonstrating a thorough knowledge of the subject, both pro and con.
3. Apply biblical truth to the issue.
4. Reinforce the biblical principles with scripture. Expand with research, facts, and insight.
5. Close in love: Here's where you (briefly) restate the purpose of your letter or suggest to your readers a clear course of action.
In order to meet the word restriction set by the newspaper, you may need to edit your letter. Have you tried to address too many issues or have you strayed from your topic? Is your scripture brief and to the point? Most importantly, does your letter meet the criteria given by Paul in I Corinthians 13? (See page one.)
Application
Write a Letter
Assignments:
» Examine your letter in the last lesson in light of our principles of writing in love. Modify it, if necessary, keeping in mind the suggestions made during the group critique. Write in obedience to the Great Commission. Mail it!
» Write another Letter to the Editor this month which discusses an issue God has laid on your heart. Look for any opportunities to put God's word into print in your community before the next lesson.
Technical Tips
Acceptable format of a submitted work
Ideally, everything you submit to a publication should be typed. However, don't let the lack of a typewriter or word processor discourage you from writing.
If writing by hand, use blue or black pen on lined white paper, in your neatest handwriting. Use white-out to cover mistakes.
Here are the most common guidelines to follow:
» Your name, address, and phone number in the upper right corner of each page.
» Use one side of white paper (avoid using erasable bond or onion skin paper)
» Set at least one-inch margins all around
» Double-space, indent paragraphs
» Name and address of department editor at the beginning of your letter
» Staple or paper-clip pages together
» Less than 4 pages: fold in thirds and use business-size envelope
» More than 4 pages: Fold in half or mail flat
A cover letter to the appropriate editor should accompany submissions (other than a Letter to the Editor). Your cover letter should be short and simple, explaining the topic and respectfully requesting that it be printed in that section of the paper. Include a brief biographical summary about yourself, if requested.
Scripture References:
» Deut. 6:5-9
» Prov. 3:3-4
» Matt. 7:12
» Matt. 9:36
» John 14:15
» John 21:15-17
» Romans 13:9
» I Cor. 13
» Gal 5:14
» I Tim. 4:1-2
» I John 2:5
» I John 3:23-25
» Heb. 3,4
» Heb. 10:23-31
This is the second of twelve lessons in the "Church Writing Group" curriculum. Reproduction of this lesson is permissible.
For more information contact The Amy Foundation, P.O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901, (517) 323-6233
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