Vision and heaven and earth
[2014 new camp is about to start] Teacher Su Wen’an’s experience in editing classes
"The true journey of discovery lies not in finding new worlds, but in having new visions." In July 2013, in Pennsylvania, the United States, I participated in the editing class of Teacher Su Wen'an's "Divine Resources and Culture Practice Camp" for the first time. This sentence This is one of his classic sharings in class, and it is also a summary of what I gained from this class. As the saying goes, "Vision determines the realm." Teacher Su helped me gain a new vision for editing, so the old world (editing work) became a new world, allowing me to reach a higher realm.
Look beyond the tedious
After graduating from college, I had several opportunities to serve as an editor, but I didn't drink it because I was afraid of trivial matters and felt that editing was not my cup of tea. I only participated in some editing work one after another and sporadicly.
However, after fumbling around in ministry and learning to be humble and obedient, God suddenly opened different doors for me over the years, breaking through my definition of the scope of my ministry. A year ago, I even asked the editor of a gospel magazine The responsibility is in my hands.
After praying, based on the principle of "when God closes the door, accept it calmly without complaining about others; when God opens the door, enter calmly without belittling yourself", I began to drink this cup of editorial tea that I thought was not mine.
Once you make a commitment, you should be dedicated, and dedication has many aspects. One of them is to work hard to improve the skills you need in ministry. Therefore, I signed up for Teacher Su’s editing class, hoping to improve the "Tea Ceremony" of editing. get guidance on.
To be honest, I originally only expected some specific gains in skills. I thought that the instruction would be over in one or two classes, and the rest was just for me to slowly digest it. I didn’t expect that this class would last for several days. And as soon as Teacher Su opened his mouth, I knew I was meeting an expert, because his positioning of literary ministry is very clear and "high-level", and he is a "literary pastor": the magazine is the "literary church", the readers are members, and the author They are co-workers; workers come before work, authors are more important than works, and sincerity to people, God, and self is more important than anything else.
Hearing these words, my heart was touched and I felt some strange changes taking place inside. I was suddenly brought to a height where I could look at the vast streets under my feet. They were no longer isolated roads, bends, or extra troubles, but were interconnected in an orderly manner, forming a pastoral beauty. picture. The editing work in hand was still small and tedious, but I saw the macro-significance closely linked to the "church"; and this significance was enough to make me transcend my impatience with trivial editing tasks.
"The true journey of discovery lies not in finding new worlds, but in having new eyes." Indeed, because of gaining new eyes, my old world has become new.
▲Author Li Wenping (middle) came to the editorial camp under God’s call to view and start editorial work with new eyes!
See beyond yourself
Personality plays a very important role in our lives, so as the saying goes: "Character determines destiny." In ministry, personality also greatly affects the process and results. I am introverted and quiet, and I usually don't take the initiative to "take care of things", nor do I actively interact with others.
However, when I realize my role positioning and my own responsibilities, my actions become different. I can turn passive into active, turn introverted into extroverted, and break the limitations of my own personality. For example, when leading a fellowship, they no longer sit in a corner and watch the excitement, but start conversations and take the initiative to care about others. When Teacher Su showed me the editor's responsibility to shepherd readers with words, it seemed that he opened the closed door of personality within me and called me: "Come out, there are things you have to do."
In fact, when I put pen to paper, the editing work of the new issue of the magazine was in full swing. In the editorial work of this issue, I have become somewhat "abnormal": I will be more proactive in contacting authors, more patiently communicating with colleagues, and more actively encouraging and cheering everyone up. Although I am not sure how long God will allow me to serve as an editor, I do know with certainty what mentality I should have to maintain my duties every day.
This is the internal and external changes brought about by different perspectives! When I regard the magazine as a church, the readers as members walking together on the road of heaven, and the authors as co-workers with Yang Tianen, the sense of belonging to the team becomes stronger! No longer stay in the usual quiet personality, waiting for others to unite the team, but on the premise of knowing that God is the captain, actively do one's own duty, thereby transcending the limitations of personality. As for the outcome, rest assured in God’s hands.
In short, the benefits of this editing course are hard to describe; in other aspects, I not only got a lot of inspiration in specific editing work, but also enjoyed and appreciated Teacher Su’s entertaining teaching method and teaching process. As Teacher Su said: "Workers come before work!" This applies not only to authors, but also to editors themselves; because only by becoming a "right" editor can one engage in "right" editorial work; and becoming a "right" editor "An editor must first look at every editorial task with a "right" perspective.
Only by cultivating on the inside can you do it on the outside. With new eyes, there will be a new world. Special thanks to Teacher Su for her sincere sharing and leading the journey of discovery in this summer’s editing class, which enabled me to be enlightened and cultivated in the “internal skills” of editing. May God help us to slowly apply this "internal strength and mental method" to external service, and then extend it to the growth of personal life. From the inside out, we will have a "heaven and earth" that is constantly changing its appearance due to the constant renewal of vision.