Many of you may know that Larna and I run a Christian fiction publishing company as well as other avenues to share the goodness of God.

One of the genres we publish in is pioneer fiction. The stories we publish admittedly are romantic tales of early Western settlers, their challenges, and loves, and there’s a certain sheen of romanticisim that comes with genre fiction that is often far from the grit and grime of how it must have really been.

Because pioneering is not for the fainthearted.

It’s hacking through a jungle of overgrown excuses.

Scaling that mountain of doubt.

Digging wells that tap deeper oceans of inspiration.

Shaking and facing fears that threaten to send you running back to the comfortable (but miserable) status quo.

As Jesus followers and creatives we were not shaped for safety.

We are equipped for battle.

Like king David, the temptation is sometimes to stand on the balcony and just gawk at the world washing its wares.

That was his first mistake. He was made for war, but chose instead to spectate. The cost was huge.

Don’t be spectator, sucking up the world’s incessant naked stream of distraction.

Get in the fray!

Make something.

Be bold and brave with your ideas, uncoupled from outcomes.

Nothing is possible until there’s something for the Lord to bless. Give Him some substance to work with and see what He’ll do.

True, our battles may not be with wild wolves or angry bears. We may not have angry hordes pressing in to ravage our land. But nevertheless we fight very real battles.

• Writing that first blog post is a battle you must win.
• Banging out your first book, however imperfect, is a mountain to be flattened.
• Creating your first email series…
• Teaching a course, however short and simple…
• Crafting your debut digital product…
• Setting up your first online ads…
• Throwing up your first video on Youtube…
• Singing your first song, or slamming out your first poem for the world to see…
• Hiring your first helper to realise your creative goals…

Firsts are always the most challenging. Always the most prone to self-sabotage, and fraught with fears you never knew you were carrying until faced with the prospect of leaving the wilderness and crossing your own personal Jordan.

But, Christian friends, Jesus is the pioneer and captain of our faith. His nature is not timid or cowardly.

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters

Hebrews 2:10

Jesus blazed a trail of boldness for us to follow. He went in directions others were not taking. A pioneer, a trailblazer, an agent of change.

Go for it.

The ‘one day’ you spoke about when you said, “One day I will…” is TO-DAY.

Go for it!