Fiction’s Power to Inspire

I tend to live in a nonfiction world. As an aspiring writer, I sadly admit that I read far too little overall and for sure far too little fiction. Judy reads much more than me, devouring multiple books a month in hardcopy, Kindle and audio. 

We were both recently captivated, though, by Theo of Golden, a fictional account of a thoughtful, generous man in his late eighties making a profound difference in the lives of others. YES! What a novel concept, an older man who is clearly young enough to serve!

It’s author Allen Levi’s first novel, a masterpiece in our humble opinion. Written for a much broader audience than Christian believers, the book has a strong gospel message, and we know many people have been inspired by it. Without divulging too much of the plot, you might enjoy this interview with the Christian author.

Why turn to fiction when there are so many true stories around to inspire us? We might want to ask that of Jesus, who taught often in parables, using fictional stories to lead people to the truth.

True, we don’t want to live in a fantasy world without real stories of faith emerging, but fiction is also a powerful tool.

Ted, a fictional character, is someone we’ve used many times to help summarize the essence of YES! 

And we’re grateful for the real second-half Teds, Tabithas and Theos out there making a difference in the kingdom.