Since December of 1996, I have written 1,434 columns as an opinion columnist for The Citizen (give or take a couple). That is close to the same number of sermons I have delivered during that same period.
Sometimes people will ask, either about the columns or the sermons, “How do you manage to think of what to do (write or preach) over so long a period of time? It can’t be easy!”
I should also note that, prior to 1996, I had 25 years of ministry and wrote newspaper columns, magazine articles in a number of publications, and penned literally thousands of news releases. The short answer is that it’s not always easy.
There is an immutable rule of writing. It is this: “Writers write.” There have been times that, hitting writer’s block and up against a deadline, I have sat at the computer and banged out a sentence — any sentence.
Once, writing one of these weekly columns, I wrote, “I have no idea what to write this week.” A moment or two later, I wrote, “I am tired, stressed, and devoid of any ideas.” That was followed by, “Nevertheless, I am a writer and I have the task and obligation to write.” Weirdly, out of that stream of consciousness rambling emerged an opinion piece.
In some ways, this column is easy to write. It is, after all, an opinion column and, admittedly, I find it easy to have an opinion on most everything. Everyone does, of course, as the advent of social media has demonstrated.
But while I have an opinion on most everything, I do not always share it in this media. To paraphrase a bible verse, “all things are possible but not all things are profitable.” In other words, some things I just need to keep to myself, for various reasons. Better to be thought a fool than to open my mouth and remove all doubt.
I find that I am not limited to one genre and that helps. I do not do a religion column, but I am free to write about religious matters. I do not write a political column but am free to do so, if I choose. And on it goes with other categories. Once in a while, I go on a rant. I try not to do that too often.
Truthfully, for the most part, I believe that I am, at the core, just a storyteller. That same outlook informs my sermons as well. The good news about that viewpoint is that there is never a shortage of stories to tell. The media, the news, people that we know and do not know, and the world around us that we occupy is chock full of stories, some begging, even demanding, to be told. We just have to look for them and be on the alert when we are sometimes surprised by them.
Occasionally, I write a column that I know in advance will not be well read, but I have the need to write it anyway. Sometimes writing is a burden and at other times a joy. Sometimes, it is inspiring (at least to me) and at other times just cathartic. Entertaining folks at times and provoking to anger some people at other times.
Periodically, I will receive praise for a column. More often I receive criticism. It’s all part of the experience of writing something that gets read by diverse people with diverse opinions.
But let me return to the beginning: I write because that is what writers do. They write. The same could be said of public speakers, including priests, pastors, and preachers. They speak because that is what speakers do. They speak.
I read somewhere that Bily Graham, when he was young and was unknown, used to go into the woods and preach to the squirrels. He would practice his evangelistic sermons to the inhabitants of the forest. They might not respond to his altar call, but it did not matter. That would come later as millions of listeners responded to his call to follow Christ. Billy was a demonstration that preachers…well, they preach.
Hopefully, we all find something to do that we are compelled to do, desire to do, and find joy in the doing of it. If we can discover what it is, it will not always be easy. But it will be worth it.
[David Epps is the Rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King (www.ctk.life). Worship services are on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and on livestream at www.ctk.life. He is the bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-South (www.midsouthdiocese.life). He has been a weekly opinion columnist for The Citizen for over 27 years. He may be contacted at [email protected].]
