The Front Page (For the final time)

Expository Files 23.12

By Jon W. Quinn

 

I will say that the decision to cease publication of Expository Files has been a difficult decision for me. I will explain why the decision needed to be made in a moment.

 I appreciate Warren being so understanding as I hesitated between the decision to continue or to cease editing Expository Files.  22 years is quite a long time to regularly do a thing. To be working  on our last issue is sad thing for me.  It will be strange not putting together an issue next month. I am so thankful that Warren approached me with his idea back in 1993. A monthly electronic publication! No postal regulations or costs. No spoiled or lost issues.  Not a whole lot of expense involved. Will this internet thing ever catch on? Let’s do this! 

Neither of us had any idea how many people we would reach or how long it would last.  I cannot begin to express how much I have enjoyed working with Warren through the years. I still wonder why he asked me to co-edit EF with him. We had been friends since the late 70’s when we were both located with churches in Kansas. But we had never lived very close to one another since then. He knew many men more capable than I. But, it worked! Warren has always been such an encouragement. I love and respect him as a brother and friend. Without question, He is a loyal soldier of our King. He has helped make me a better disciple of Jesus.

I also want to thank all those who have written for our publication over the years, several of them posthumously. We could not have done it without them (well, we could have, but the issues would have been much shorter!).

 The problem I have been dealing with over the past year and a half which has led to this decision is a disease of the cornea. At one point last year, the cells started detaching from the surface of the cornea and this was extremely painful. Various medications and treatments were tried, but ultimately I had to have surgery. The remaining cells were scraped off and allowed to grow back. Unfortunately, they did not grow back as smoothly as we had hoped. The slight imperfections in the rounded shape of the cornea meant continued vision impairment, though much improved  over what it had been.

 Reading and editing, as well as formatting for the web became very difficult and even frustrating.  It had always taken quite a bit of time to index all the articles for the archives, but now it was taking much longer still. During this time I have also been preaching from outlines with large fonts; 18 point fonts at first. And with difficulty. That has since come down to a 16 point font presently, and I am comfortable with that and could probably go 14.  I will have another surgery soon. I am also dealing with some eye pressure issues.  

So, that is where I am right now. I want to say that it could have been much worse. I continue to preach, teach both public and private Bible classes and publish a weekly bulletin.  I can drive, but generally do so only in the daytime.  I can actually see at a distance without glasses  better now than I have been able to my whole adult life, but not quite as well with glasses.

 I just wanted to explain why we came to this decision.  I also wanted to express my thanks to God for the opportunity that I have had over the past 22 years to work with Warren in this endeavor. Glory to His name! So, a heartfelt thank you to my friends, Warren and Paula. Also to my wife Barbara. She has been so supportive in so many ways.  Actually, I am a very blessed person.  Very blessed!