I’m currently reading Becoming Mrs. Lewis, by Patti Callahan. It’s the story of how Joy Davidman came to know and develop a relationship with C.S. Lewis, through letters, visits, and eventually a move to England. It’s a work of fiction, but based on the letters they exchanged, and their conversation is peppered with ideas and thoughts from works of both writers.
In one such conversation, Lewis tells Davidman that he’d been turned down for a position at Oxford, and that it wasn’t the first time this had happened. He hadn’t been published enough in scholarly works apparently. His most popular books were novels, and therefore didn’t quite count.
Joy replies to Jack thus (in the novel at least): “I don’t know if it helps to say this, but I believe the world would rather have your stories than your titles.”
There are a goodly number of titles held by the writers of this blog and journal, each marking much hard work, dedication, and passion. But it isn’t the titles that make this blog what it is. It’s the people. It’s the stories.
Each writer on this blog, and of the Reformed Journal as a whole, is a collector and narrator of stories, looking for meaning in the cupboards of their lives, trying to uncover and express truths that are, sometimes, difficult to put into words. And yet they do – through poetry, essay, podcast, and short story. They speak with their own voice, from their own context, telling the story as they have experienced it, but always, ultimately, with The Story on their minds.
As readers of the Reformed Journal and this blog, you get to share your own stories through comments and re-posts, and now through curated gatherings with readers and authors. We are a wide network of storytellers, and this journal is rich because of it.
Rich though we are in story, it takes another kind of riches to make such a collection possible.
Today is the last day of our fundraising drive.
If you’ve donated already, thank you! If you haven’t yet, would you consider doing so? Our community is only a community because of all of you, and this is one such way to participate in that community.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for being story tellers.
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