Make Good Use of Magazines
1 When you visit a newsstand, you see a staggering array of magazines that feature everything from comics to scientific technology. You could never read them all. While some magazines have useful information, most are of questionable value. Many are degraded and have to be avoided.
2 What a contrast when compared with The Watchtower and Awake! These magazines are dedicated to searching out and proclaiming the truth that can be used for the salvation of all who respond to God’s love.
3 Awake! can effectively reach all sorts of people because of its wide scope and variety of articles. As explained on page 4 of each issue, it “is for the enlightenment of the entire family.” It features articles on a variety of subjects, which include people, religion, and science. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events. Above all, it “builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world.”
4 The October 8 issue of Awake! features the topic “You Can Overcome Negative Emotions.” Countless lives have been shattered by such emotions. Presenting this magazine by focusing on its soothing Bible counsel may strike a responsive chord. As for the October 22 issue, we should be able to get a listening ear by calling attention to comforting points in the series “A New World That Satisfies All.”
5 The Watchtower has established itself as a world-renowned advocate of the good news about God’s Kingdom and the Paradise blessings it will bring. The October 1 issue will answer the probing question “Does Mankind Really Need a Messiah?” This will give us a fine opportunity to talk about our Kingdom hope. Information on “Family Life Today—Meeting the Challenge,” featured in the October 15 issue, will help us start conversations with family members who yearn for relief from life’s many pressures.
6 We want sincerely interested ones to receive these valuable journals on a regular basis. When discussing the many benefits of the magazines, try to determine whether the person is genuinely interested. When initial interest is found, you may decide to deliver a few issues personally as part of your magazine route and in this way cultivate the interest. When you are convinced that the person is genuinely interested, offer to have the magazines delivered through the mail as a subscription. If the person agrees, a six-month subscription may be entered.
7 We can recommend our journals to one and all, since we are convinced of their value. We have something good, and it is Christlike to share it with others.—Prov. 3:27; Heb. 13:16.