ChristianWeek

Lately I’ve been pre-occupied with problems.

So what! Welcome to the human condition. One of the best ways to move one’s mind beyond the obstacles and frustrations that fill our days is to pause and take stock of the many good things that also occur and which we are apt to take for granted.

That’s why I started to compile a list of things about ChristianWeek that I’m very grateful for. Once you get going, the list grows quickly. While I won’t have room to share them all, here is a healthy start.

Awards. Each year ChristianWeek enters about 10 articles in contests run by the Canadian Church Press (CCP) and the Evangelical Press Association. Both are judged in early May. This year, about half of our entries in each contest earned an award at some level. Two of the most gratifying were a first place for front-page design from the CCP, and top prize for best reporting from the Fellowship of Christian Newspapers. The opinions of our peers matter to us; such affirmation gives strength for the journey.

Writers. We face a vast acreage of blank pages every two weeks. The calendar is relentless. Thankfully, we also have ready access to many scribes. They keep sending news reports, feature stories and all kinds of commentary. Thank God for good writers with something to say and an ability to say it.

Readers. ChristianWeek would not exist if people didn’t find it interesting enough or helpful enough to actually spend time with it. Thankfully, thousands of Canadians are keen to know what on earth God is doing. May your tribe increase.

Progress. Our situation always seems fragile and imperfect. So what! Compared with one year ago, which was better than two years ago, which was better than 10 years ago, we are stronger and better positioned to meet the opportunities of the future. For this we give thanks.

Staff. Regular readers of this space are introduced to our staff as they come and contribute to this enterprise. Working with people (many of them quite young) is one of the great joys of my life. So for a great team at ChristianWeek, I often give thanks.

Many Christians happily sing “Great is the Faithfulness” without realizing that the author of Lamentations bursts into this paean to God’s faithfulness in the midst of deepest sorrows and woes. Problems abound for sure. Grace does much more abound.