“If writing books can be compared to having babies, there were two births on this leave. And, like a mother rejoices over her newborn children—and the end of labor—I rejoice over finishing these books.” ~ John Piper, Pastor, Author

Recently John Piper thanked his staff and congregration for understanding his need to get away to write. As it turns out, he “gave birth” to twin books. Piper tells us: “There are are five similarities between the gestation and birth of these books and the experience of pregnancy, labor, and delivery.”

As a Christian writer, I appreciate Piper’s Gospel-tethered writing. I appreciate, too, that he acknowledges the difficult beginning stages of writing:

“You stare at a mountain of notes and sermons and articles and journal entries and blogs and scraps of paper, and the thought of it ever coming together in a coherent book seems impossible.”

Ah, but like Piper we pray. Then we write, write, and write some more - the “pushing” stage.

“Being too self-conscious about style will get in the way of thinking clearly. One must be who one is. You can go back and clean it up in an hour or two,” Piper reminds us. Good advice.

Writing styles may vary, but we have the same Spirit, enabling both the labor and the birth.

To read Piper’s letter in its entirety, please go here: An Open Letter of Thanks