[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":81},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-milestone":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-milestone-surround":70},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":53,"date":54,"description":55,"extension":56,"image":57,"meta":58,"minRead":59,"navigation":60,"path":61,"postType":62,"publication":20,"publicationUrl":57,"seo":63,"stem":64,"topics":65,"__hash__":69},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fa-milestone.md","A Milestone",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"John",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":49},"minimark",[13,22,25,28,31,34,37,40,43,46],[14,15,16,17,21],"p",{},"This week's column is a personal milestone for me, because 10 years ago my weekly column appeared for the first time in ",[18,19,20],"em",{},"The Lookout",". Several things have changed since July 1996. My hair has gotten grayer, my face sports a few more wrinkles, and I've become a grandfather (with a wallet full of photos to prove it). Back in 1996 I typed my columns on an electric typewriter, which long ago gave way to a laptop computer. Back then Americans worried about the approach of Y2K and didn't foresee the approach of 9-11.",[14,23,24],{},"Over the last 10 years I've cranked out more than 500 articles and 300,000 words for this magazine, but I haven't lost my love for writing. Today I'm more determined than ever to communicate God's life-giving truth through the printed page.",[14,26,27],{},"The inspired writer John observed that if he tried to record everything Jesus said and did, the whole world couldn't contain it all (John 21:25). The Bible offers an inexhaustible supply of spiritual resources. That's why The Lookout has never run out of timely topics since it began publication in 1888. Our staff works hard to provide relevant, practical, Bible-based articles for today's growing Christian, and our mission is just as important now as ever.",[14,29,30],{},"My dairy farmer dad used to say, \"No matter what else is going on, the cows have to be milked.\" Likewise writing a weekly column is a wonderful opportunity, but no matter what else is going on, the column has to be written. Over the last 10 years I have written articles while sitting at my desk, while riding on planes and busses, while sitting in hospital waiting rooms, while lying in bed with a fever, and while sitting by a mountain lake.",[14,32,33],{},"I've jotted down ideas on fast-food napkins, church bulletins, and gas station receipts. I've gleaned suggestions from nine-year-olds and from 90-year-olds. I've written six months ahead of the deadline, and one stressful afternoon I typed my article while the guy who ran the printing press literally looked over my shoulder waiting for the finished copy.",[14,35,36],{},"Some of my articles take weeks to write, while others move from concept to finished product in a few short hours. (I'm not sure which ones turn out better.)",[14,38,39],{},"I decided years ago that if I'm going to write a weekly column, I have to be myself. I'm not a poet like Shakespeare, a scholar like Einstein, or a business genius like Bill Gates. I'm not a prophet like Isaiah or a crafter of proverbs like Solomon. I'm not a comedian or a political commentator.",[14,41,42],{},"I'm part story teller, part teacher, part neighbor next door. I'm a minister at heart, and I do my best to be a consistent encourager. I'm not afraid to tackle tough issues, but if you are gracious enough to invite me into your church or home every week, I want my words to be gracious guests that build you up. I hope all of my articles make you think, and I hope once in a while they tug at your heart or make you smile.",[14,44,45],{},"When asked what it's like to write a weekly column I usually say, \"It's like writing a letter to a big group of friends every week.\"",[14,47,48],{},"So thank you, friends. I hope you keep reading. Lord willing, I intend to keep writing. Because even after 10 years I still have more to say.",{"title":50,"searchDepth":51,"depth":51,"links":52},"",2,[],"First Look","2006-07-16","This week's column is a personal milestone for me, because 10 years ago my weekly column appeared for the first time in *The Lookout*. Several things have changed since July 1996. My hair has gotten grayer, my face sports a few more wrinkles, and I've become a grandfather (with a wallet full of photos to prove it). Back in 1996 I typed my columns on an electric typewriter, which long ago gave way to a laptop computer. Back then Americans worried about the approach of Y2K and didn't foresee the approach of 9-11.","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-milestone","column",{"title":5,"description":55},"articles\u002Fa-milestone",[66,67,68],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Spiritual Formation","tv3E2yj3k4oH5jJW416AL4YQCywTnkZpOMl6efWodME",[71,76],{"title":72,"path":73,"stem":74,"description":75,"children":-1},"A Man of Few Words","\u002Farticles\u002Fa-man-of-few-words","articles\u002Fa-man-of-few-words","My dad died 14 years ago, but his influence lives on. Like Abel, “by faith [he] still speaks, even though he is dead” (Hebrews 11:4).",{"title":77,"path":78,"stem":79,"description":80,"children":-1},"A Minor Miracle?","\u002Farticles\u002Fa-minor-miracle","articles\u002Fa-minor-miracle","There is no such thing as minor surgery. If you are the patient on whom the operation is performed, every procedure seems major to you.",1790466133255]