About WordPoints Publishing

WordPoints is a small religious publishing company organized in 2002. Solely owned by Gary Henry in Louisville, Kentucky, it delivers content via websites, e-books, and other digital media. It also publishes a series of daily devotional books sold by retail booksellers.

Challenging Every Person to Take God More Seriously

Dealing with the “question of God” is the most important thing we ever do. Compared to this, no other activity comes close. If we do, in fact, owe our existence to a Creator, then Solomon was right that reverence is “the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). If the Creator-creature relationship exists, then reverence would seem to be the foundation of any further progress. So the mission of WordPoints is to honor God by encouraging greater reverence. There are steps that all of us — even the most religious — can take to relate ourselves more properly to God’s glory, and the materials published by WordPoints are intended to move readers in that direction. While our mission is to “encourage” greater reverence, the urgency of the subject requires a special form of encouragement: one that is strong and vigorous rather than merely sentimental. For that reason, we challenge people to take God more seriously. Content published by WordPoints is intended to be provocative in the highest sense. If we do no more than give folks an encouraging “hug” and an approving “pat on the back,” we will have failed to serve them as we should. When we write, therefore, it is not merely to tranquilize our audience. Our purpose is to move readers out of their comfort zones — and then help them experience real spiritual growth. Our publishing philosophy is guided by three principles:

• Reverence. Nothing else matters in religious publishing if this priority is not maintained. Whether you “like” WordPoints publications or not, it is our primary concern that they contain truth (and nothing but truth) about God — communicated in a way that honors Him. We try to say things as courteously as possible, but all the courtesy in the world would be of little consequence if the content of the message misrepresented God or misstated His will for us.
• Careful thinking. If there is any subject about which we need to be careful in our thinking, surely that subject is God. We believe in the ability of the human mind to reason accurately and to apprehend objective truth concerning God. Because of that belief, we try to publish only that which has been carefully considered. Being a Christian is no excuse for sloppy thinking, and while we certainly are not infallible, we can honestly say that the critical analysis of competing ideas is something we work hard at.
• A comfortable communication style. Not only does the subject of God require careful thinking, but it deserves an appropriate style of writing. We strive to speak of God in words that are not only congenial and gracious but also dignified and respectful. We hope that our style of writing can be comfortable without ever being flippant.

The daily devotional books published by WordPoints — the WordPoints Daybook Series — are written with a lofty goal: we want to define a new standard for daily devotional books. In contrast to much that is published in the “devotional” genre today, our devotionals are different in at least four ways:

• A more God-centered approach to spirituality. In a self-centered age, devotional writing can easily end up being more about ourselves than about God. Many people seem to be interested in God only for what He can do to make their lifestyles more enjoyable, as if He existed merely for their benefit. Yet God is to be honored and loved for His own sake. Religion is primarily about God, not about us, and the WordPoints publishing program tries to keep this focus clear.
• A better balance between gratitude and reverence. While our basic attitude toward God must combine both reverence and gratitude (Romans 1:21), contemporary religious culture tends to emphasize gratitude at the expense of reverence. We need to be reminded that gratitude for God’s grace without reverence for His holiness is just empty sentimentality. So without diminishing the importance of love, WordPoints devotionals consistently emphasize the priority of respect for God. It is, after all, genuine (and obedient) reverence that distinguishes Christian love from that which masquerades as “love” in the world.
• A more serious approach to devotional meditation. In recent years, the trend in devotional literature has been toward the mass marketing of “fluff.” Best-selling devotional books often consist of little more than feel-good formulas — intended to make the reader feel good regardless of his or her actual conduct toward God. At WordPoints, we believe in feeling good, but we believe that feeling good comes from removing the causes (and not merely the symptoms) of spiritual discomfort. More often than not, a “surgery” is required that will make us feel worse before there’s any chance of our feeling better. The prophet Jeremiah warned about the damage that comes from crying “‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). When our attitude toward God is not reverently submissive to His will, we do not need to feel better. What we need is to think seriously about our failure to treat God with the respect that He deserves! At WordPoints, we try to engage the reader in serious thought, delving into the real reasons why we struggle and suffer as we do. The apostle Peter urged his readers to “gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13 NKJV). We try to heed that admonition, preparing our minds for work that is worthy of the God who gave our minds to us. The resulting books, we hope, are characterized by substance and significance.
• A better balance between candor and courtesy. We believe that a religious writer can tell the truth that needs to be told and still tell it in a gracious, considerate manner. At WordPoints, we strive to communicate with an encouraging blend of candor and courtesy. Believing that many writers sacrifice truth in an effort to be loving, we try to speak the truth very straightforwardly, but we also try to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Our goal is to be thought-provoking without being rude.

The publisher, Gary Henry, worships with the Douglass Hills Church of Christ in Louisville, Kentucky, but WordPoints is independently owned and operated by Gary Henry and is not affiliated, either directly or indirectly, with any local congregation, denominational organization, or religious institution. We welcome questions, comments, and suggestions from readers, as well as from reviewers and book dealers.

Blessings and best wishes,