Nearly 400 years ago the first Pilgrims came together and had a Christian feast. They got together, prayed and gave thanks. They thanked God they were alive. They praised the Lord for only taking some of their lives. They were thankful they were not completely wiped out by disease and hunger. They were thankful they were not completely wiped out by savage natives.

They were thankful that only some of their kids died and only a few people had become widows.

They were risk takers unlike anything modern evangelicalism has ever seen.

They got on a boat and went west knowing that a good amount of their women and children would die before ever seeing land again. Then the ones that did make it to land died of starvation and disease. Some died from freezing to death.

Yet here they were, at a table, not wearing any masks and not afraid of sickness and disease — giving thanks to God for only killing some of them.

The Pilgrims of the 1600’s had a bravery and determination that very few people in our nation have today. Imagine looking at your family knowing that probably half of them would die as you got on the boat. Would you have gotten on the boat?

They knew it was worth the risk to build something that would benefit Christianity in such a way that 400 years from now the entire world would still be impacted by their actions.

LOOR is not calling anyone to actually die of starvation or dissentary but we do see ourselves building something that can change the world. Artists might lose their jobs, they might sour their reputations and never be allowed to work “in that town, again” all because they are associated with a crazy bunch of radical story tellers who don’t follow the rules.

Like the Pilgrims, we see the risk is worth the reward. We’re building a way for Christian artists to never be starving artists. A place where they can be truly free. We’re creating a means for Christians to create stories that can be remembered for generations. We’re setting foot on a boat and we’re building an online community of radical storytellers who are not afraid to die. A community of people who believe that it is better to do the hard work and grow your own corn than it is to be fed by the king.

Will you join us?