TeenSpeak

Showered With Inspiration

By Joshua Sundquist

I’ve heard that great minds think of their best ideas in the shower. I am pleased to announce that I am now a part of this elite circle of creative thinkers. Last summer, as I was finishing up my morning shower, a crazy idea hit me: I wanted to put together a devotional book written by and for young people around the world. The title? Forty Voices: Stories of Hope from Our Generation. You are now reading the account of what happened (and what I learned) after I toweled off.

1. You’ve got to bring enthusiasm to the table
The first thing I did in my newfound cleanliness was to call two of my friends and ask them to join me as editors in the project. While I was dialing their numbers I recall having the feeling that my stomach was about to explode. Not from indigestion, mind you, but from sheer excitement. I really wanted to do this, and that excitement got the two of them interested, too.

2. There’s no “I” in team
The more cynical among you will observe that there is in fact a “me” in team. This, however, is irrelevant. The three-man editing team of Forty Voices showed me just how powerful teamwork can be. Brian Hamilton, a high school buddy of mine and web designer, created a web page that we used to solicit entries. Brad Huddleston, being a radio disc jockey, got us radio time and pulled a few other nifty publicity stunts. And me? I’ve learned a good bit about publishing while working on an yet-finished autobiography, so I was in charge of the logistics of publishing. The three of us were match made in heaven. Literally.

3. People are generally very irresponsible
The more cynical among you are probably agreeing here. But it’s true – getting people to follow through on their word and submit devotional stories for Forty Voices was a tough job. If I could sell a copy of the book for every person who said “I’ll write something and email it to you tomorrow” and only to never be heard from again, we’d have a #1 NY Times Bestseller. But alas, the NY Times counts actual sales, not the difficulty of compiling the book.

4. Honest is the best policy
Our philosophy in writing a Christian book that would impart spiritual principles to the reader was to have our writers tell a story from their life that affected their relationship with God. We didn’t want preaching, we wanted honesty. But that’s hard because we all want to make ourselves out to be Perfect Christians. The truth is that none of us is perfect, and it’s only by admitting this that we can write about our lives in such a way that we connect with the reader.

5. Stop worrying, adults.
Some young people actually do care about religion The only reason this book worked was because there really are young people out there who take their faith in Jesus seriously. This faith is not just a Sunday morning thing; it’s a whole life thing. You can see this in the sheer diversity of topics covered in the book. One girl comes to grip with a childhood marked by appalling abuse. Another finds a soul mate. One guy even tells a story about – get this – an idea he thought of in the shower! (No, it’s not me, but he’s undoubtedly a genius). As a whole, these stories present a picture of the way Christian young people today are living honestly and hopefully despite their imperfections. And for me personally, these stories present a picture of what God can do with a crazy idea that hits you in the middle of your morning shower.