Eating an Elephant
Have you ever heard the old adage, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time”? Well, I just finished eating my elephant.
When Martha and I went on air eight years ago, people said, “well, if you’re going to be a radio personality, then you guys should write a book.” I said to people, “I’ll write a book when God tells me to write a book.” Martha said, “I don’t wanna write a book.”
Well, if you’ve been following us, you know that we finally heard God’s voice telling us to write a book. Actually, He told us to write three books.
A year and a half ago, we set off on a journey to write a trilogy that would encourage everyday believers in their work and retirement: iWork4Him, sheWorks4Him, and iRetire4Him. When we started this project, we had no idea the enormous undertaking it would be to write and release three books simultaneously. Everybody said it was impossible. I said it was like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.
Over the last 18 months, we have put together three books with contributions from 54 different authors. We have gone through almost 40 editorial rotations, back-and-forth from the publisher. We have recorded 100 hours of audio for the audiobooks. We have edited and corrected nearly 1000 pages. And having finished my final plate of elephant this past Monday, with the completion of the audiobook production, I realize that eating an elephant was an enormous undertaking.
Martha and I have worked countless hours on these books, but every one of those hours was worked with you in mind. Because God’s will is that you would live out your faith in your work – something that may sound impossible. But how do we do impossible things? One step at a time, and those steps are broken down for you in all three books.
Psalm 119:105 says,
“your word is a lamp and to my feet and a light to my path.”
When we began this project, we didn’t know it would take 18 months, and we didn’t know all the hours of work it would be. We just knew that we were hearing God’s voice. So, we put one foot in front of the other. And today, the books arrived; now it’s time to get them into your hands. I hope you enjoy the results of our elephant project; we enjoyed eating it on your behalf. And I hope that they help you on your own elephant project – sharing Christ with those around you!
Jim
About the Author, Jim Brangenberg
Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!