A Case of Nerves and the Need to Assemble Together

11th in a series: Read Part 10 or Go to Beginning

After more than 30 years on the roller coaster of freelancing, you’d think I’d be used to the ups and downs. Which is why, just three months ago, I was surprised when I battled a case of nerves like I hadn’t experienced in years.

It involved an assignment that didn’t have a lengthy turnaround time. Settling on three authors I thought would have some good insights on the topic I was exploring, I emailed their respective publicists about arranging phone interviews.

That was on a Monday. Because of other projects—including a book editing job, a research article, ghostwriting a chapter in another book, and research on another article—that’s all I managed to do that week.

Following Up

My stomach churning with nerves, the following Monday I started checking more closely with the publicists. When I did, I discovered that even though one appeared on the publisher’s website as their publicity contact, he no longer worked there. Neither did another publicist I had mistakenly emailed before finding the new contact online.

When I followed up with the third, she told me the author I wanted to talk to didn’t have time for an interview, but suggested another with a new book. She sent me a PDF so I could read a couple chapters.

After telling her I was interested, she arranged a Zoom call for two days later, on a Friday.

Coming Through

Not only did this author have many excellent comments, his book was so good I quoted several excerpts and used some of the material as the basis for an additional sidebar.

To top it off, I was able to line up an interview with a second author on the following Monday. His comments fit perfectly and provided the additional comments and perspective needed for the story.

While I never heard back from the publicist about the third author, some comments from a previously published interview helped fill the gap on one point.

I started writing the article on Tuesday morning. By Thursday I had finished and sent it in a day ahead of deadline.

Soon I received a note back from the editor that in essence said, “This is great.”

Spiritual Warfare

There’s more to this episode, which includes a worship and prayer service our church held on the following Sunday night.

As we were wrapping up, an elderly woman raised her hand. She said she wanted everyone to know about the terrific spiritual warfare she had endured that week.

She finished with a word of praise, saying she believed one reason the devil had been fighting her so hard was the incredible breakthroughs God was going to bring.

“I’m glad she shared that,” I thought. “I must have been under the same attack.”

Indeed, it all made sense. The gut-wrenching, irrational, mystifying bout of nerves I had suffered despite years of professional experience originated with a spiritual attack.

None of us is immune from such, regardless of age or how many years we have followed Christ.

This is one reason Paul told us to stir each other up to good works and to not forsake assembling together (Hebrews 10:24-25). When we are in community, we are less susceptible to enemy attack. As the old adage goes, strength in numbers.