The seeds sprouted
The idea of participating in a writing camp has been brewing in my mind for more than a year. Ever since Sister Jiahua gave me a copy of the 2003 Literary Camp special issue "The Canary in Culture", I have longed for this camp that is full of joy and harvest. In a small corner deep in my heart, a piece of soil began to thaw, and a small seed came to life...
▲Li Chun received the certificate of completion from teacher Su Wen’an and looked in high spirits.
Good soil brewing
Since childhood, I have been a bookworm. The four sisters in my family all love reading, and I am the most enthusiastic one. As soon as every issue of "Childhood" arrives, the four sisters rush to grab it. I remember one time I had the upper hand, but because I was busy grabbing books, I delayed helping my mother turn the blower (coal stoves at that time used a blower to assist the fire) to cook. The extremely busy mother got angry and took the magazine from my hand and stuffed it into the stove. A few of us grieved over it for several days. I still remember the cover of the magazine I didn’t even look through.
I like to read, and I don't seek a deep understanding. I'm like Bajie who eats vegetarian food - he has a big appetite and doesn't care about the thickness. No matter what the content is, he swallows it down. But in mainland China in the 1970s, everyone was barely able to maintain food and clothing. Where did they get the spare money to buy books? What's more, in a border town far away in Xinjiang, there is only one Xinhua Bookstore in the whole town.
Fortunately, my uncle who is studying in Beijing is very far-sighted and believes that developing the habit of reading from an early age will be useful throughout your life. He saved money from his meager allowance and sent us a steady stream of good reading materials. When I was in elementary school, I read a lot of Chinese historical stories and fairy tales, such as "Five Thousand Years Up and Down", "Stories of the Eastern Han Dynasty", "Stories of the Western Han Dynasty", "Selected Foreign Fairy Tales", "Selected Fairy Tales of Andersen"... I especially remember that my uncle sent them A large number of booklets on world history published by the Commercial Press: "Peloponnesian War", "Mughal India", "Spartacus", etc. I think these awkward names are very interesting, and the story content and illustrations are still fresh in my mind.
After entering middle school, the books sent by my uncle were upgraded. They were all classics at home and abroad, from "Water Margin", "Journey to the West", "Dream of Red Mansions" to "The Count of Monte Cristo", "The Sorrows of Young Werther", Sherlock Holmes, Treasure Island, Eugenie Grandet, Goriot, and the complete works of Jules Verne: The Mysterious Island, Machine Island, Captain Grant "Children"... Every summer vacation in middle school, I was immersed in the dream world constructed by words and never woke up. How much joy these books bring me.
▲The author (right) and his classmates wander among the green mountains and green fields.
Mourning the "little squid"
Reading too many books naturally makes my hands itchy. I still remember that my first submitted work was probably "The Adventures of the Little Squid" written in the third grade of elementary school. It writes about the thrilling experience of a naughty little squid who skipped classes at the elementary school on the seabed and went out to play, encountering electric eels, sea anemones, and giant whales on the way. The various underwater worlds in the story are naturally revealed from books. You know, my hometown is a small oasis in the Gobi Desert. Let alone the sea, I have never seen a larger lake.
My father read this behind-the-scenes adventure story and praised me greatly, saying that I, a landlubber, could write such a story. It was very imaginative. I was greatly encouraged and very proud. I asked my father for manuscript paper, copied it carefully in the neatest and most beautiful handwriting, sealed it respectfully, and sent it to the "Youth Daily" office. Unexpectedly, this letter disappeared like a yellow crane as soon as it left. After weeks of craning my neck, I still couldn't see a single word on the editor's scrap of paper, and I was finally sadly convinced that "The Adventures of the Little Squid" had ended up in a wastebasket somewhere.
It was a huge blow in my life that my debut novel, which I had poured so much passion into, ended up like this. My enthusiasm for creation has since slumped, and I can no longer muster the courage to submit articles. The newly sprouted literary seed was buried deep in the frozen soil and hibernated.
Say goodbye to the ice period
After entering university, I had a specialization in the field, so I was assigned to the Department of Water Resources to deal with water and electricity. At that time, Tsinghua University was dominated by engineering departments, with almost no humanities departments. Although I can stroll in the lotus pond written by Zhu Ziqing, stop in front of Wang Guowei's monument, and play in the swimming pool where Liang Shiqiu took the physical education class, there is no suitable temperature here for the literary seed in my heart to germinate. I stayed at Tsinghua University for eleven years. I read most of the novels in the library, but besides writing diaries and complaining, I also wrote experimental reports and papers. That magnificent and fantastic literary dream is getting further and further away from me.
Sister Jiahua's book made the long-dormant seed in my heart begin to sprout again. Seeing so many brothers and sisters gathered together to learn how to serve the Lord with pens and have their own forum for expression, I felt like there was a little paw scratching in my heart. Why don't I try it?
Thank the Lord, I finally came to the writing camp and experienced firsthand the joy of serving the Lord with my heart and pen. The lecturer, Mr. Su Wen'an, is modest and polite. He is a senior writer, senior editor, and a newly ordained literary missionary pastor. His lively lectures that were both solemn and humorous made us feel like drinking pure wine, and we couldn’t stop recalling it. Although the lecture notes are a large and thick book, in order to make full use of time, the courses are also arranged very closely, but the detailed explanations, beautiful essays, wonderful movie clips, appreciation of famous paintings, plus the three small volunteers led by Teacher Lili With bowls of cool and sweet mung bean soup and red bean and lotus seed soup, class became an all-round enjoyment for hearing, sight and taste.
Preaching with the pen also conveys the message from the heart
Gradually, I realized that the meaning of Christian literature ministry is gospel preparatory literature, which is to use our pens to preach. Our writing should not be limited to the expression of personal emotions, but should be written with the purpose of submission and the direction of the gospel. You must set tasks for yourself and actively live and write regularly, rather than passively waiting for inspiration to knock on your door.
"Writing requires experience." You must observe more, think more, and maintain an innocent heart. Capture fleeting inspiration from busy life in multiple directions and angles, and use it to form full and vivid words, which contain the words of the Lord, so that people can feel the sufficiency of the truth when reading the article. The power to change people's hearts.
To write high-quality articles and produce good "Guan Yan", you must also do a lot of tasteful reading, and carefully understand the author's writing techniques and writing skills. Use your own pen to carefully appreciate the original author's layout, words and sentences, and learn from many sources to improve your own realm. Thanks to Brother Wenzhe from the Messenger Study Room (Teacher Wen'an's fourth brother, the Su brothers are really heroes) for working tirelessly to transport us a large number of good books, so that we all came home with a full load. The item "read a good book every month" in the "Qiyi Movement" is probably overfulfilled.
More importantly, we must develop the lifestyle of a literate person and "live a meaningful and flavorful life." The Lord gave us life and created such a beautiful world for us to manage and enjoy. We must appreciate the Lord’s creation, praise the Lord’s power, and live a life of joy that comes from the Lord. If a Christian writer lives a mediocre and lifeless life, or is embarrassed and full of complaints, not only will he not be able to write good and inspiring works, his life will not be a good testimony to the glory of the Lord's name. As Teacher Li Li emphasized, we must live a more exciting life.
▲Li Chun (left) and sister Yue'e cook and serve.
Sprout’s self-expectation
The four-day writing camp training is over, but the "Qi Mei Movement" has just begun. For me, reading a good book every month is a no-brainer, and I can probably do my best to contribute at least one article every month. As for living a simple and disciplined life every day, carrying inspirational notes every day, and running and asking questions every day. , take at least one theology or professional course every quarter, these are a little more difficult.
I pray that the Lord will protect my heart and mind, and allow me to continue unwaveringly and passionately on this path of literary service. I also hope that the brothers and sisters in the literary camp can encourage and support each other, watch and help each other, and walk together on this journey of plowing the heart with writing. The path to ministry.
At this point, the little literary seed in my heart finally sprouted after more than twenty years of hibernation. Earnest implementation of the "Seven Every Movement" will provide the best fertilizer for the seedlings. I look forward to the seedlings being full of vitality, growing vigorously, taking root deeply, and sprouting branches and leaves. Maybe one day, it can grow into a towering tree!