We will try to sing and play and pray and preach in such a way that people’s attention will not be diverted from the substance by shoddy ministry nor by excessive finesse, elegance, or refinement. Natural, undistracting excellence will let the truth and beauty of God shine through. We will invest in equipment good enough to be undistracting in transmitting heartfelt truth. — John Piper, Desiring God
Christianity
Pinning down the Details
I’ve always known the importance of details, but working with the production team at The Austin Stone has made the knowledge more concrete. More than that. The knowledge has been etched in sharp relief. Every detail matters, from the background visuals for a song to the timing of the words.
How to be a Better Writer: Pursue Excellence
I believe I am called to excellence. Most other people probably do, too. I may differ, however, in the “why” of it. I pursue excellence because God is excellent. He excels at everything He does, has done, will do. Because He tells me to model my life after Him, I choose the way of excellence.
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What is Excellence?
Perfectionism couches itself in performance, achievement, and competition. It is the antithesis of excellence. — Aaron Ivey, The Austin Stone
Risk it All
Risk it all. That’s when amazing, glorious things happen. — from the October Write Right eLetter
The writing life — and the life of faith — is not a safe life. To play it safe, means to risk little and to accomplish even less. To grow, to become the person God has created me to be, requires risking it all. No cards are held back for safekeeping. Everything is put on the table. Everything is entrusted to the One who dealt the cards in the first place.
How to be a Better Writer: Be Diligent
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. — 2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB)
To be diligent is to “have or show care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties.” Its synonyms help paint the picture: industrious, hard-working, assiduous, conscientious, particular, punctilious, meticulous, painstaking, rigorous, careful, thorough, sedulous, earnest.