#233: The Harvest is Plentiful but the Workers are Few (Finisher Series)

Welcome to Kingdom Writers, where we help equip and empower Christian writers of all genres to share your unique gifts with the world. We're your hosts, C.J. and Shelley Hitz.

This podcast is filled with spiritual encouragement as well as prayers to help you overcome the resistance you face as a writer. Your story matters.

Welcome to our Finisher series. So if you've been following along, last summer we did our breakthrough series helping you break through those obstacles keeping you from writing your book. Then in the fall we did our Overcomer series, just helping you overcome and really do what God has created you to do in your writing. Now it's time for the Finisher series and we are going to be focusing this series on helping you cross the finish line of publishing your book. This is spiritual encouragement, but we're also going to be talking about some practical things and we record these live inside our private group for Christian Book Academy. Now I would love to invite you to join us. Just go to ChristianBookAcademy.com I hope this episode encourages you today. This week's theme is the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. And you know, it really comes from the verse Luke 10:2 and this is from the NIV. He told them, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. And I just think so many times when I hear this verse, I think about writers and publishing books because we did not have these opportunities to independently publish before like we do now. And yet, you know, yes, there's a lot of competition. Yes, a lot of people are publishing, but there's a lot of people that aren't.

And there's a lot of people that know they're supposed to write a book that haven't finished it yet. And so God is wanting to use you in your sphere of influence and the people that you have in your life and the people that you will reach. And it's so exciting to me. Can you tell? I get so excited.

There's a statistic that says 80 or 81%, depending what statistic you look at, of people want to write a book, but few actually do it. So we've said this before, you may feel like there's too much competition. However, God, I believe, has a specific, specific sphere of influence for each one of you. You will reach people CJ and I never could.

And you know, God isn't asking you to reach the entire world on your own, right? He's simply asking you to be a Good steward of what you have right now in your hands. And, you know, there's a great classic story of guy named Edward Kimball. And Edward Kimball was in the Boston area, and he taught a Sunday school class. And there was a particular young man who was in his Sunday school class that he had a burden for that he knew. Really didn't know Jesus. And so Edward just decided to go down to the shoe store where this young man worked and was a salesman and just began to plead for this young man to consider his soul and to really make a firm decision, you know, sort of get off that fence for Jesus. And by the end of that conversation, that young man did turn his life over to Christ. And that young man was D.L. moody.

Wow.

And estimates vary, but Dwight Moody is thought to have led as many as a million people to confess faith in Christ.

Among his many achievements on either side of the Atlantic. Many of you are probably familiar with Moody Bible Institute. And, you know, it's just an example of, you know, your book. My book, we never know. I mean, when we publish those things and they're out in the world, who knows how God will use it? He may use our books to lead the next Dwight Moody to the Lord, someone that has a grand impact. Not that numbers, you know, are the. Are the end result in terms of salvations and such, but it just shows you that we never know who we're going to stumble across and how God will. Will. Then, you know, you just think of all the fruit borne out in Dwight Moody's. DL Moody's ministry. Guess what? Edward Kimball gets a share in that fruit one day in heaven. He gets to say.

I have a part. You know, I was faithful to the burden that God put on my heart to come into that shoe store and talk to DL Moody, even though maybe there was part of me that didn't want to do it right there. He did it. He was obedient. And I think it speaks volumes to us as writers to say, you know, there may be something that we fear or we're a little nervous about, or we're just not sure, you know, if our book is going to make much of a difference. Don't underestimate what God can do with that little thing that's in your hands.

As it's published into the world. And it's. It's a powerful story.

Yeah. And it's the concept of stewardship. So what I want to ask you today is what is in your hand today? What has God given you today? And it often makes me cry or get Weepy. When I think about all that God has done in and through CJ and I, we are the least of the least, you know, sinners. And I was just recalling my childhood, you know, conversion. And in my junior year of high school, I was a drunkard, I was a thief, I was a liar. I mean, all of these things. I was in a very bad place and God saved me. And I have no idea what would have happened had he not saved me at that point, what direction my life would have gone, you know. And then it's like, you know, all these different things through the years that have happened that God has done. And to God be the glory for the great things he has done, you know, Reminds me of a hymn, right?

But all that I have done, you know, is what was in my hand at the moment. So in 2007, CJ was traveling and speaking around the country and I just started to join him. I would speak to the girls, he would speak to the guys. God put on my heart. You know, I was still working full time as a physical therapist, but he put on my heart that, you know, all these girls that keep coming up to me for advice, to create a website for them. Because I started online marketing in 2004, a few years earlier. So I started a website and started writing articles in all my spare time, right? I was working full time. We were so busy in the church. CJ was in, Youth for Christ ministry. I was helping with that, but. But I started, you know, each week I would write something. And the next year our friend Philip Telfer showed us his self published book, Print on Demand. And God sparked in my heart. Shelly, you've been taking like, I just took what was in my hand at the time, right? I just started writing articles for the website. The next step God revealed and showed to me, oh, these could become a book. I was thinking, oh, I could do that. What's in your hand? I took those articles and edited them into a book. And then that became our first book. And then one thing after another after another. Took the step of quitting my physical therapy job in 2011. You know, it's like, what's in your hand today? Can you just simply be faithful with what God's given you today, no matter where you're at? Maybe you have no audience yet online. I had zero audience when we started and yet just took that one step, one step, one step. Had no idea that we would be doing this full time, that we'd be doing what we're doing now. I have no idea what the Next year brings with the next five years, 10 years. We just keep saying, okay, what's in our hand, God, what is it you want us to do with that being a steward? And then, you know, when you are faithful with little, he will make you ruler over much and so he will give you more as you are faithful with the little that is in your hand today. And so sometimes, sometimes, you know, in our culture today, we're very number focused culture, wouldn't you say, C.J.

Yeah, I, I'm convicted myself. Back in actually, you know, you mentioned my, my Youth for Christ days. I was very numbers oriented. You know, how many kids are at the meetings, how many salvations. It really was a numbers driven.

Ministry. And you know, it was really easy to. I was just thinking about this. I remember how.

Excited, you know, maybe even prideful I was, you know, when we'd have these meetings where, you know, you've got over 100 kids and, and you know, it's exciting and loud and, and yet it brings almost tears to my eyes to think that many times I probably just looked at those kids as a number, you know, that. All right, I got 100 people at the meeting and I can write that at my, my end of the week report that I had to turn into our director. And you know, and that's not the heart, by the way of, of Youth for Christ or any of the, the youth ministries or numbers, you know, type ministries. There's really a deeper heartbeat. It's just that sometimes we can get sidetracked and make it a numbers thing instead of it's a individual, person by person, soul by soul kind of ministry. And yeah, I agree, we do live in the bottom line culture of what, what have you done numbers wise for me lately?

Yeah, and you know, it's about productivity, it's about numbers. And there's so many numbers for us as writers that are public. How many reviews do you have? How many 5 star reviews do you have? You know, how many followers do you have on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram? All of these are public numbers. And people can publicly see what people are saying about you or not saying about you. And it's very easy to get caught up in like, oh, I need to have this and that and that. And I just feel like God wants to remind all of us, myself included, CJ included today, that.

The harvest is plentiful. Doesn't mean that it's going to look the same for each of us sometimes. Like that story CJ told, it's going to be reaching that one Person that then goes on and does incredible things that maybe you could never do. What C.J. and I do in this academy is we pour into you, then you go and do things that we could never do. It's discipleship. Right? It's the concept of discipleship. And we can do that through our books. But I just want to encourage you, if you're not seeing the big numbers, you know, on your accounts or all these things and doesn't mean that God's not blessing you. Doesn't mean that God's not with you. You know, the numbers are great, but don't let them define you. Don't let them define you or the success in the kingdom of God. I mean, God has told me over and over and over again, Shelly, success is obedience. And there have been many times he's asked me to do things that I just. I did not want to do. But I kept thinking, okay, what is in my hand? Yeah, God, you have saved me from so much.

The woman who was forgiven much. The Bible said she. What she loved much.

Yeah.

And God has forgiven me of so much. When I think back to my initial salvation, my junior year of high school, and then just all the things, even through my life and my struggle with pornography and all of the things like, how could I not serve him?

How could I not do the things that he's inviting me to do? How could I not use the gifts and talents and time and ability and energy for him? It's not about us. It's not about building our platform and our kingdom. It is about building his kingdom. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Yeah. You know, and there's another story that comes to mind. Shell and I were actually just talking about this gentleman a little earlier. Shelly's watching a documentary on a man named David Brainerd. And some of you might be familiar with David Brainerd. There was a book that is known as the Diaries of David Brainerd. And it's a powerful little book that he himself never intended for the public to read. David Brainerd was a missionary commissioned to.

Minister to a Native American group out on the east coast, somewhere in the Northeast.

I can't remember exactly which state had to do with Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, kind of that area. And David Brainerd had tuberculosis. And the young man eventually died at age 29. And yet he kept this very detailed diary. He was very consistent, and he shared a lot of his struggles. You know, there were just times he was depressed.

He would talk about his condition and how difficult it was at times he was talking about the lack of fruit. You know, he just didn't see a whole lot going on that he wanted to see in his ministry to the Native Americans. And, you know, he. He recorded all this. And when he was in his last days, he actually had an opportunity to finish out his days in the house of Jonathan Edwards, who is known as perhaps the greatest preacher in American history.

And Jonathan Edwards allowed him to stay and live his last days in. In his daughter Jerusha. Jonathan Edwards daughter Jerusha. It's said that he, David Brainard, and his daughter Drusha had a.

Blooming romance, or at least there were possibilities that had he, you know, come through, who knows, maybe they would have eventually married. But she enjoyed taking care of him as he was in his last days. And Jonathan, you know, the father, he noticed this, but he was overwhelmed when he read David Brainer's diaries. He was. I mean, this is a man who had been very prolific, not only in his message. I mean, this is the man that preached the message, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. One of the most, arguably the most powerful, most recognized sermon in American history that sort of opened the door to a revival, the Great Awakening in the Northeast. And yet he was taken aback by the depth and maturity that he read in David Brainard's diary. David Brainerd wanted to throw that diary in the fire at Jonathan Edwards house. And before he did, Jonathan Edwards pleaded with him. He says, please, David.

I want to publish your diary. I believe many can benefit from this. If I've been benefited, I know there are many others that can relate to that. And David consented and allowed Jonathan Edwards to publish this classic that has encouraged so many people around the world, including missionaries that have been in very depressing places. Some of you listening or watching this may have been missionaries yourself. And so you realize that sometimes that life can really take a toll on you. You do have those moments where you're just thinking, oh, is anything good happening? Is there ever going to be any fruit that comes about through this ministry?

And so many thousands of people, including myself, I read this little classic. It has encouraged so many people in their faith, and yet it was something that David Brainard never intended, never thought the world needed to see, never thought it would add up to a, you know, a hill of beans. Jonathan Edwards says, young man, I want to publish this, and I believe many are going to be impacted by it, and it continues to impact people 300 years later. And so I just want to say that again, We've said this the last couple weeks. Never underestimate what God will do with something that you are writing and you don't think much of at the moment.

It could be that a hundred years from now, that book that you wrote somehow catches fire, gets into the right hands at the right time, impact somebody that then has influence to share it with a whole lot of other people, maybe a larger audience, and it just goes viral for some unknown reason. And what we want to say is hang in there, keep pressing on, and as you write, just realize that it's God that's going to add the increase. He's going to, to bring about the fruit from that book, whatever he wants to do. Just give all that to the Lord and just know that your little.

In the hands of God can add up to much.

Yeah. And leave the outcome to God. You know, God is the God of the outcome. But what's in your hand today, you know, a prayer that was just on my heart as I was thinking about this today, is, God, may you bring a mighty harvest. God, may you bring a mighty harvest through our books, through our writing, you know, and the harvest that he wants. So there might be people that have right now 100,000 people following them on Instagram, but it is not doing anything for eternity. I mean, just because you have the numbers, it doesn't mean that it's making an eternal impact.

And there are very large mega churches out there, and we won't name any of them, but there are churches out there that have huge numbers, but unfortunately are not producing a lot of eternal fruit, perhaps due to pride, arrogance, whatever it may be. Don't ever judge the health of a church by the way, by how large the membership is. Because as God has says, he looks at the heart, not just at the outer. You know, he said that about David when he called David to be king. He was looking at the heart. And that's what he looks at. That's what he's most concerned about. It's not. You could have a hundred thousand people, and yet the heart of that social media or the heart of that church or the heart of that following is just not truly God honoring. It's not based in humility.

Yeah. And so, you know, we just encourage each of you to keep your eyes on Christ and leave the results to him. Just, you know, be a steward of what he's put in your hand today. What can you do? You know, we started this journey 12 years ago of publishing, and it was 16 years ago when I did my first website and you know, I'm reaching kind of like, you know, maybe, what, middle age or whatever. I'll be 45 in April, and I'm just like, looking back, you know, I've been looking back at my life and it's like over the last 16 years, it's like it hasn't happened overnight. It's been one thing at a time. And so just keep going forward. And this is one of my favorite verses for writers or entrepreneurs. It's let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest. If we what.

If we give up?

Do not give up. And so, you know, we talked about last week, do you need to push through or do you need to rest? But if you need to rest, rest, but don't quit. And you will. It says you will reap a harvest if you do not give up. And so will you today. Give God your Yes.

Yeah. Run if you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must.

Yeah.

Just never give up. Keep scratching and having that forward momentum. We're now at that time where we're going to do a one minute reflection again. And as always, we ask that you just simply say, what are you saying to me, God? What is it about this particular live video podcast that is that you're wanting to say to me? So just have that time between you and the Lord as we take this one minute.

Sam.

Okay. And so we would love it if you would also post in the comments, you know, what is it that that the father's been speaking to you regarding this?

This whole idea of the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Maybe it even sent you down a rabbit trail. And there's something else that you want to add, you know, to this discussion. Put that in the comments. I'd love to hear about that.

Yeah. And I know it encourages others that, you know, are able to see what you have shared. But as I was asking God if there was a picture or an encouragement to share with you today, I got a picture of him handing you some keys. And I was like, okay, what are the keys for? And then I saw you standing there, like, holding keys in your hand, and there was this brand new car in the driveway. Now, I didn't get the make and model or the, you know, what kind of car. So you just picture your favorite car.

Whatever your dream car is.

What would be your dream car? C.J.

Oh, well, I used to always say, you know, one of those really ritzy Land Rovers that can go anywhere. And the adventure Climb over anything.

The adventure in you. Yeah, I just. I love just having something that's reliable. But, you know, you have the keys. So God has given you the keys to the car, but the car is still parked in the driveway. And for some of you, it may have been parked there for a long time, some of you for a shorter time, but you have the keys. The car is yours, but you haven't taken it anywhere, you haven't driven it. And so, you know, I was asking God what this meant. I felt like he said that he's provided you the vehicle of independent publishing. You know, as a writer in 2020 or beyond, you know, he's given you this vehicle of independent publishing. And yet for some of you, there is something still keeping you and holding you back from putting the keys in the ignition and turning it on and taking it out for a drive. And I just pictured that, you know, as you take that step of faith that God actually has an itinerary for you. He has a journey for you that you will go on. Just, you know, he's had us, CJ and I, on this journey the last 16 years of first publishing online and then in books and all of the things that he's had us to do. He has a different journey for you, a specific itinerary for you, and.

It'S different for all of us. But there may be something right now that's blocking you from taking that next step and turning the key and driving away. So ask God today what is blocking you?

And.

And we encourage you to take that step of faith and go for a drive. It's yours. The car is yours. You have the keys. You, God has. Has created an itinerary for you. And so it is time to take that step of faith. Kingdom writers.

Yeah, it reminds me, I just saw a post here recently. Some friends of ours.

Got their daughter.

Not, I don't know if it's a brand new car, maybe a used car, but her first car, you know, after getting her license and you know what a great feeling that is. Many of us could probably remember when we got the keys to our first car. It could have been a beater. It didn't matter. You had those keys and you were, you were excited to be able to have a little freedom and getting out on the open road.

My first car, I didn't. It wasn't completely mine. My parents just let me drive it. It was this little itty bitty Chevy Sprint. I don't know if anyone remembers those. And it was stick shift. My dad determined that I would learn stick shift in case he ever needed to go to the hospital. I was the only one around, and the only car was a stick shift, and it was a hard stick shift to learn on. But I was thrilled when I got my license. I think one of the first things I did was I took my sister to Dairy Queen, and we just thought we were like, hot stuff, you know, we were able to go on our own and. And without mom and dad, so that was fun.

Yeah. That reminds me of my first car. 77 Toyota Corolla. And my dad picked it out, he found it, and he said, man, this is a good deal. It was. I think $1000 is what he offered the guy. The guy wanted 1200 and. And we. We gave him a thousand and he took it. And unfortunately, the 16 mile drive back from Roseburg to Myrtle Creek in Oregon, I drove with the emergency brake on.

I don't know if I've ever heard that story.

Oh, my goodness. When we pulled into the driveway and my dad realized that, he was not happy. Yeah. But he was kind enough to replace the brakes for me.

Oh, goodness.

And so that's a lesson there that you don't want to be running around with your parking brake on.

Right.

It's good to release that parking brake and allow the car to do what it's supposed to. And I think we looked back and we thought, man, yeah, the car didn't have quite the get up and go that we thought it did, you know, and of course, it didn't.

Well, and that goes along with the illustration or the picture God gave me of that. You know, some of you may even have already, like, started driving, but maybe you're like, you're. You're still hesitant. You have your parking brake on, and maybe you don't even realize it. Sometimes there's things that, that we do subconsciously or that it's just such a habit or ingrained in us. And so, you know, cj, why don't you pray for each one of us and anything that might be blocking us, whether it's, we're moving, but we're a little slower because that parking brake is on, or we just haven't even gotten in the car. We have the keys. The car is there, but we haven't taken it for a drive yet.

Well, Father, we just. We thank you for this time.

With the academy members and also those that are listening to the podcast. We just, we thank you for what you're doing through this whole writing journey. And I just want to pray for each and Every member that you would allow them to completely be free of any. Any hindrance that would be serving as a block.

Maybe they. They just. They've got the keys, but they. They haven't gotten the car out of the driveway. And I just pray that you would allow them to be released. Released from whatever is blocking the way and whatever it is in each of us. Lord, I just pray that you would.

Remove that hindrance, remove that obstacle, bring freedom to our lives. I pray that you bring healing where it's needed, whatever it would take for us to be.

Just completely.

Free to write the things that you've called us to and also to accomplish the things that you've called us to. And we, as. As we've talked about, we're going to leave the fruit in your hands. You're the one that brings about the fruit.

And. And yet we have an opportunity to be laborers in your harvest. And I thank you for that. And I do ask that you would bring about much fruit in the lives of these kingdom writers. I pray that they'd be able to reap from some of the blood, sweat and tears that they've sown into the ground, and that they will have an opportunity to look back and say, only, only with the Lord could this happen. As Shelley said, you know, we all stand in humility and gratefulness because of what you called us to do, and we do not deserve it, Father, but we thank you, and we want to make the most of this opportunity that we have. And so, Father, would you birth the books that you desire to go into the world? Would you bear the fruit in whatever way, shape, or form it takes? Would you allow our books to reach hands that we never even imagined? You know.

Perhaps stories like David Brainard's diary will. Will occur in our lives as well, where our books traveled further and got into more hands than we ever would have imagined because of what you did, and only what you did. And it's not just about the numbers, as we've said, but it's about just eternal impact, even if that's just one person. And so have your way, Lord, and we will give you the glory and the honor. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Amen. All right, well, we hope that you are encouraged today, and we look forward to seeing you again next week.

God bless you guys.

Bye bye. Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of the Finisher series. It really means the world to us that you would invest time and be here with us today. So thank you. We have a free gift for you. We recently just made this available to the public. Previously was only available to the paid members in Christian Book Academy, but it's a copy of my publishing map. I hand drew and lettered this map out for you and it literally takes you through the steps of publishing your book. And our members love this resource. Some have said they print it out and they use it every single time they publish a book. You'll also get access to a video of me explaining explaining the publishing map to you. And so I really hope that this also helps you overcome any confusion or overwhelm regarding independent publishing. And you can download this for free at trainingauthors.com publishing-map or just swipe up and the link will be in your show notes. Thank you again for joining us. We love you all so much. See you next time.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Kingdom Writers. We believe that you, as a Christian writer, have a specific role to play in the Kingdom of Heaven to impact lives for eternity.

And because of this, we choose to pour out our lives into encouraging writers like you to not only tell your stories, but to take the courageous step of self publishing yourself stories in books that will outlive you and leave behind a powerful legacy. This podcast is sponsored by Christian Book Academy where we help you give birth to your books. We invite you to join our community of Kingdom Writers.