Christian Resources Together

July / August 2016 Issue

_{Clem Jackson (Editor)}

‘Find the thing you can do & do it’

It was TV Vicar Kate Bottley, speaking at the Christian Book Award event at the London Christian Book Fair in May, who made me sit up and think when she said these words. She added “Not everyone can be on telly – nor should they be” and in an age where ‘celebrity’ seems to be the goal of many to aim for, she is right. We’re not all going to have our name ‘up in lights’ or in the papers, or on TV (although I still hanker after a billing at the London Palladium!).

We can’t all write award-winning books or amazing worship songs taken up by the worldwide church, but we can ‘run with perseverance the race marked out for us’ (Heb. 12-1). The athletic metaphor used by the writer to the Hebrews here seems apt given that, as I write this, Andy Murray has just … the French Open Tennis Championships, England are doing rather well in the cricket and the Olympics will be starting soon after you receive this magazine. Also three home nations are due to compete in the Euros (will we be in or out by the time you read this – both the competition and/or the EU?).

But we can’t all be gold medal winners or, as depicted on our cover, winners of the chariot race. But as this issue of Together once again shows, there are plenty of examples of people doing the thing they can do and to the best of their ability.

Every single story in the Retailer News pages (9-10) is one of encouragement and I love receiving news stories like these. I hope you will be encouraged by reading them. Read Joy Denny’s piece on p24 too and the other retailer articles on pages 11, 42 and 46. Check out our author interviews on pages 14, 20 (an interview with the author of the new Ben Hur book), 21, 28 and 40. Also read the amazing story of the award winning book The Shed That Fed A Million Children on page 38.

We live in a world where the pressure to ‘succeed’ and ‘achieve’ can do terrible things to people. Suicide is the single biggest killer of young men in this country for example. Children sitting exams, businesses struggling, employees overworked and stressed. So Trevor Partridge’s new books (p28) seem timely and we all might benefit from reading Ken Costa’s new book Know Your Why (p40). Speaking in the interview he says “God has created each one of us to have purpose”; finding God’s purpose for us, rather than the one we, or others, impose on ourselves, might just be the key to a fulfilled life.

So ‘finding the thing that you can do’ should probably be re-phrased as ‘finding the thing that God wants you to do’. I hope that in a summer of sporting excellence you find encouragement. Excitement and contentment in all that you do.

Clem Jackson
Editor

Together Magazine

For more information on Together please email the following by clicking on the contacts below:

Steve Briars        Publisher / Managing Editor
Clem Jackson     Editor
David Ramsay     Advertising UK Sales