Military chaplains, like pastors, are often called on to write short and pithy inspirational messages for local newspapers.
In my case, my boss and the base newspaper (The Borden Citizen) recently decided to have a weekly "Padre's Corner" column, and I got the date for jsut after Easter. An interesting challenge to write (in 200-250 words) from a spiritual but non-denominational way that might have something to say to believers (Christian and otherwise) as well as the secular, unchurched. The metaphor of spring as a time of cleaning and rewewal seemed like a useful launching pad.
Here's what I came up with - on page 12 of the linked document.
Doing this for years. Not difficult. Must be pithy. Not wordy. Because wordy is the death-knell of concise and to-the-point columns when length and brevity is next to godliness (as they say). One must strive always to be short and to the point without a great deal of unnecessary (not to say pointless and unfortunate) words that really, in point of fact, add nothing to the argument, flow, or story, that is, idea.
ReplyDeleteExcellent start to your column,just the right note I feel.
ReplyDeleteAlan