Editor’s
journey
Thick-skinned
SPRINGFIELD, MO. — I remember
a phone call I received from an angry reader shortly after becoming editor
eight years ago. “You’re hearing from the devil,” he snapped.
“You’re not listening to God.”
Fighting the urge to
hang up, I replied, “Can I ask you to pray for us? I promise
we’ll continue to take time each week to hear from God and
do our best to follow His leading — but, with all due respect,
I’m afraid if we do what the Holy Spirit tells us to do,
you still may not be happy with us.”
He promptly hung up on me.
Needless to say, early on I discovered
this job required thick skin.
God’s blessing has rested
on this magazine for 90 years, in part, because it has demonstrated the courage
to follow the leading of the Spirit and address difficult issues. Despite
downward turns in the economy and trends toward electronic communication,
the magazine’s circulation has remained strong.
As an editorial staff, on this
90th anniversary we renew our pledge to deal with issues important to readers
and this church. God birthed the Pentecostal Evangel
to be a courageous voice — not a publication that allows the fear of
criticism or the need for applause to shape its editorial content.
Each week when we gather as a staff
to pray for the ministry of this magazine and seek God’s help, we reaffirm
that the Pentecostal Evangel belongs
to God. He is the Publisher. Our job, like the editors and staff members before
us, is to follow His guidance. Our prayer is that we will draw closer to God
and hear His voice so these pages will continue to reflect His heart and deliver
a timely message to His people.
In the last six years, since we
began running a salvation coupon and offering a discipleship booklet, more
than 10,000 people have indicated a decision to follow Christ. And many others
have written to say they have found help and hope through these pages. On
this 90th anniversary we say, “May God receive all the glory.”
— Hal Donaldson
E-mail your comments to pe@ag.org.
