From the Secular to the Sacred, Christopher Literature is Powerful in Its Simplicity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I usually use this space to share with you the stories of people who I\u2019ve interviewed on our \u201cChristopher Closeup\u201d radio show, to comment on different\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2014\/10\/from-the-secular-to-the-sacred-christopher-literature-is-powerful-in-its-simplicity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From the Secular to the Sacred, Christopher Literature is Powerful in Its Simplicity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I usually use this space to share with you the stories of people who I\u2019ve interviewed on our \u201cChristopher 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{"id":5301,"date":"2014-10-09T09:49:23","date_gmt":"2014-10-09T14:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/?p=5301"},"modified":"2014-10-09T09:49:23","modified_gmt":"2014-10-09T14:49:23","slug":"from-the-secular-to-the-sacred-christopher-literature-is-powerful-in-its-simplicity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2014\/10\/from-the-secular-to-the-sacred-christopher-literature-is-powerful-in-its-simplicity\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Secular to the Sacred, Christopher Literature is Powerful in Its Simplicity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"3$ <\/a>I usually use this space to share with you the stories of people who I\u2019ve interviewed on our \u201cChristopher Closeup\u201d<\/a> radio show, to comment on different aspects of popular culture, to post Christopher News Notes, or to highlight inspiring stories that are making the rounds online or in the news.<\/p>\n

Today I\u2019m changing my approach a little to write about some of the mail we receive about our literature. <\/p>\n

For instance, our longest running ministry is our Christopher News Notes<\/a>. These pamphlets address a variety of social and spiritual issues that are relevant to people\u2019s lives: from overcoming loneliness to building an active prayer life. Single issues are mailed out free-of-charge 10 times a year, and readers find they often bring the right words at just the right time. <\/p>\n

A longtime subscriber named Marylou recently wrote to us saying, \u201cThank you for your faithfulness in sending the Christopher News Notes. They transform what is \u2018ordinary\u2019 to \u2018extraordinary,\u2019 from the secular to the sacred. They are powerful in their simplicity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, there\u2019s also our annual \u201cThree Minutes a Day\u201d book, the latest of which \u2014 Volume 49<\/a> \u2014 has just been published and sells for $10. This collection of daily stories and reflections is so popular that people called our office in August asking if the new book was done yet! We appreciate the enthusiasm and are grateful that you, our readers, rely on the book to provide you with a daily dose of moral and spiritual guidance. <\/p>\n

Consider this story which serves as our January 1st entry: When TV host Mike Rowe met retired Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills at the Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C., he was astonished at the condition of the man standing in front of him. It wasn\u2019t just the fact that Mills was a quadruple amputee with two prosthetic arms and two prosthetic legs, but also that his spirit was shockingly upbeat.<\/p>\n

When Rowe inquired what happened to him, Mills said an IED in Afghanistan had destroyed his limbs. Despite that, Mills said, \u201cI\u2019m not a victim, Mike, and I refused to be portrayed that way.\u201d Instead, Mills focuses on his wife, his child, and on helping wounded veterans adjust to life with their injuries.<\/p>\n

On Facebook, Rowe wrote, \u201cTravis is missing more than a few original parts; he\u2019s missing all traces of self-pity. And that presents a challenge for mortals like me\u2026[to] listen to a guy with no arms or legs tell me how lucky he is. That\u2019s called a gut-check, and I could use one from time to time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The power of stories like that even extend behind prison walls, as our friend Sister Rosemary let us know a few weeks ago. In case you\u2019re not aware, The Christophers send free donations of our News Notes and books to various diocesan prison ministries around the country. Sister Rosemary, who ministers to inmates in Chicago, wrote us a note saying the following: <\/p>\n

\u201cThis week, an older man asked if I could give him anything to read that would \u2018lift his spirits.\u2019 I was able to find a [Three Minutes a Day] book to bring him (they are so popular that they aren\u2019t always available)\u2026I am so grateful for the goodies you send. The men love everything I put out for them on a \u2018Take if you wish\u2019 table when we have our twice-weekly Communion services. [They say], \u2018If it is from The Christophers, it is good!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Thank you to everyone who sends us words of encouragement like that. We\u2019re happy that you allow us to play some small part in bringing Christ\u2019s light to the world. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"