The Reason for My Publishing Company

Why do you do what you do?

Do you know?

Why do you do what you do when you first wake up?

After that?

After breakfast?

At work?

After work?

Before bed?

And at all times in between?

This is about values. What do you value?

What I mean by that is…

What do you care about?

If you know the answer to that, compare it with how you’re spending every minute of every day.

Do this relentlessly and religiously.

The Bible says,

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

Knowing why we do what we do is important, because we need to remind ourselves constantly.

Time is short and easy to waste.

I say this because I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you why I do what I do at IndieChristianBook.com and ChristianGhostwriting.com.

I am helping people write and publish books, because I want to change the world.

That’s all.

Why do I think I can change the world? Who do I think I am?

I understand something that most people don’t seem to.

I understand that the world moves and changes on knowledge.

The acquiring of knowledge.

And the application of knowledge.

What? Why does that matter?

Because what is knowledge?

Or at least, the promise of truth.

Is all knowledge true knowledge?

Well…sort of.

The fact is that we know things currently that will eventually be debunked.

But that doesn’t matter.

Here’s an example:

Medical science. Yikes. Leeches and bloodletting were not quite true knowledge. But people were trying to learn how to heal disease and there were reasons to think these remedies worked.

In fact, there was some truth to the science behind leeches and blood letting.

For centuries, doctors believed disease was caused by an imbalance of the body’s four “humors,” one of which was blood. If someone had a fever, inflammation, or other symptoms, the explanation was often that they had too much blood, so they used leeches or bloodletting to restore balance.

Today we know that explanation was largely wrong.

But they weren’t fools. They were trying to solve a real problem with the best explanation they had at the time. And they weren’t completely wrong.

Modern medicine still uses medicinal leeches in certain reconstructive surgeries because their saliva contains powerful anticoagulants that help keep blood flowing while damaged veins heal.

And not only that, but I have to go and give blood from time to time on my doctor’s orders, because my iron count is too high.

Blood-letting that helps others. Pretty cool!

The explanation changed.

The knowledge improved.

A small piece of truth survived. That’s how progress works.

It advanced because people kept proposing explanations.

Some of those explanations were criticized, tested, and discarded.

Others survived.

That idea has shaped the way I think about writing and publishing.

People sometimes ask me why I spend my life helping authors write books.

Because I believe books are one of the primary ways human beings participate in that pursuit.

Improve it if you can.

Some books will be wrong.

Some will be partly right.

Some will change the way we see the world.

But none of them can contribute if they are never written.

That’s why I publish this Newsletter for Christian Writers.

That’s why I coach writers in our paid sub community (upgrade to paid and find out!).

That’s why I ghostwrite for leaders who have ideas but not the time or skill to write them down.

That’s why I started Indie Christian Book to publish bold people.

The “Christian” in our name isn’t there because I think Christians have already figured everything out.

It’s there because I believe truth ultimately has a source, and that source is God in Christ.

“…Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Colossians 2:2-3

We pursue truth not because we are certain of everything, but because we trust that reality is intelligible, that God is not deceptive, and that honest inquiry is worthwhile.

I don’t want to help people publish because I want more books in the world.

I want to help people publish because I want better ideas in the world.

Because I want to change the world.

Because I love and admire people willing to put what they think on the line.

To publish, put their name on something, and suffer the criticism so that we can all have better facts about reality.

Because better facts lead to a better world.

Revelation.

That’s what we’re in need of. More truth. A more intelligent view of the facts of reality so we can navigate properly.

So what do you know that others may not know yet?

Maybe you don’t think you know anything new, but telling your version of it through your unique experience with the truth might be the thing someone else needs to hear in order to get God in a way they never have before.

Whatever it is, don’t hold back. Put it out there. If you’re wrong, you’ll find out real quick.

If you’re humble enough to keep adjusting and keep asserting falsifiable assertions, we’ll change the world.

I know I can change the world by encouraging and helping others to share knowledge.

That is why I do what I do. That’s the filter when I’m trying to decide what to do on a random Tuesday morning.

God bless you. Go write something true.

Jeff

P.S. Our Tuesday writing community for ICB clients and paid Substack subs is on a break for July. In August, we’ll come back and run through our How to Write a Christian Transformation Book sequence, along with giving you feedback on your work. I hope you’ll join us. Just upgrade to paid and you’ll get access.