As we all are getting ready to enter the fall season (at least in the northern hemisphere), I count it a blessing to be able to continue the work which you support me to do. The fall of the year is an invigorating time, and I always feel a burst of new energy for studying and writing when the weather cools off. If the Lord delays His coming, I hope that you, as well as I, will have a productive season these next few months.
As I mentioned last time, I have begun writing the earliest few pages in the new book, Walking in Christ. In all of my books, I write the first few and the last few pages first. That is partly because I want the opening and ending pages to be as strong as I can make them, and I like to write those while my mind is fresh. But also, it somehow helps me psychologically to have the “bookend” pages written, so that the remaining work consists of filling in the gap between the start and the finish. At any rate, I have only written just a few pages, but it is exciting to be writing again.
Mainly, however, my work this fall will consist of thinking, studying, reading, praying, and planning for this book. As you can imagine, I will do a lot of those things as the writing progresses, but before I start writing, I always like to have a good mental picture of what I want the book to be. Adjustments will have to be made as the work unfolds, but it would be irresponsible to begin a project of this magnitude without preparing for it prayerfully. So that is what I am doing right now. I hope that you won’t consider that not to be real “work,” for that is the main part of the work.
I want to share some good news with you regarding the Obeying the Gospel project. The audio tracks of the daily readings in the book are being distributed by podcast (as well as in other ways), and as of today, there have been 5,550 downloads of the podcast. Last month, there were more downloads than in any previous month, including January when the podcast was new. In addition, the number of subscribers and “listens” on YouTube is growing. So the audio tracks are getting some traction, and many people are finding, after trying it, that they like listening to these pages. Some have told me that they listen to my reading of the page while they follow along visually in the book (or on the web). These days, it is impossible to predict how individuals will prefer to get their “content,” since we have such a growing number of possibilities. Obviously, I can’t provide the content in my books in every way that is technologically possible, but I do try to provide it across a good range of channels. There is no doubt that doing this gets the information to far more people than if I only published the hard copies of the books.
In regard to my health, I am back in physical therapy for my hip and am also seeing another therapist who specializes in vestibular (inner ear) problems with dizziness and balance. It remains to be seen how much either of these will help, but I am hopeful. This week I also saw a neuro-radiologist who had suggested a brain cath procedure to investigate the possibility of some vascular issues. It’s not clear yet whether we’ll actually do that, but I told him, “Doctor, you are certainly not the first person to suspect that I may not have adequate blood flow to my brain!”
In all seriousness, I have gotten to a place where I am comfortable dealing with my health situation as it is. The Lord is gracious, and it is He who provides the strength that I possess each day. I have been blessed more than anybody I know. So thank you for being a part of the help which He provides to me.
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
