more at stake

There is a perception out there that the Christian Standard avoids the hard issues or publishes a “party line” of predictable opinions. As one leader said, “It is narrowly focused in the ghetto of the Restoration Movement.”


I find this ironic because I also read the many letters and website comments that roll into the CS offices criticizing the topics the editors choose to cover or the positions they take.

Here’s a sampling just from current stuff:

“Anyone who would shun small groups, I believe, is of a legalistic nature and is looking for attention” (in response to Brian Jones’ “Why Churches Should Euthanize Small Groups”).

“I am disappointed that Christian Standard would choose to publish or consider this divisive and false doctrine” (in response to Glen Elliott’s “What Should We Believe About Hell?”).

“Why would you even print such a story? Oh, I know, you want to present all sides of an issue…..This time, perhaps you pushed the envelope just a bit too far” (in response to John Mark Hicks’ “God, I Hate You”).

And that’s before you go back into the last few years’ archives for the many articles on creation care, politics, nationalism, Calvinism, the role of women, racial issues, and theology.

In each of these areas, talented authors have explored a variety of perspectives. In fact, I think many of those who spout the Standard’s “protectionist” tendencies actually haven’t read the thing in years.


But more important than defending the magazine to those who have already made up their minds is finding new ways to lead the discussion. There are issues we could be addressing and discussions we need to be having, and younger leaders (who are already grappling with these ideas) from whom we can learn.

To paraphrase one of my colleagues at a planning meeting last week, we can’t gripe about people not coming to the table if we haven’t set a place for them.

So consider the table set.


In its February 6 issue, Christian Standard will launch “Stake,” an every-other-week part of the magazine dedicated to “credentialing the heretics”—the many Christian risk-takers who have not accepted a party line and are asking the tough questions about faith.

The website is already live and packed with great content from our leader, Brian Mavis, and a team of “Stakeholders” including Vince Antonucci, Jim Tune, Troy Jackson and Mark Moore. We’ll be publishing more new stuff each week (sometimes each day) and we’d love your contributions.

Will we address things that shake up our regular readers? Will we attract some new voices? Yes, if we’re doing our job right. But as Brian says in the first issue, “Stake is not about being hip. This is not a place to rag on the Restoration Movement. This is not about dishonoring or discounting our heritage. Though it may be provocative, it is not about being controversial.”

Instead, the point is to provide that place at the table for anyone interested in asking questions, taking risks, discussing ideas, and pointing to Jesus as the Way. We’ll have roundtable discussions (I’ve already completed two; anyone have the spiritual gift of transcription?), videos, and links to resources.  Occasionally there will be a cheesy Christian illustration for a caption contest.

We’ll be encouraged toward unity and discouraged away from legalism. We’ll probably argue a bit. We’ll be challenged to “turn our theology into biography” (which means Brian will regularly suggest new risks for us to take).


I’m really excited to be part of this—I hope you’ll contribute a blog post or two, comment on at least that many, and join the conversation here. There’s a lot at stake.

new to you friday—book it

This week I was reminded once again that I really need to make more time for reading.


I spent Tuesday through Thursday in sunny Orlando with the Christian Standard contributing editors team (arriving home just in time to scrape an inch of snow off my car at the airport). As always, I was challenged, inspired and encouraged by our time together. As always, I left with the names of six more books I need to read.

As long as I’m updating my list, I’d love to hear your suggestions as well. What magazines and blogs consistently give you new insights? What are the three can’t-miss books from the year we just ended?

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December always brings lists; Time magazine just released an entire issue devoted to the “top 10 everything of 2008″ and many other magazine and blog authors create their own best-of lists this time of year. These always sell well—with the incredible amount of information available to us, it’s helpful to sort out the events, people, movies, music or activities worth our time.


We also enjoy these lists because they provide new insights into our culture. (This year the top two Yahoo! Searches, ahead of any presidential candidate or news story, were Britney Spears and the wrestling league WWE. No wonder the rest of the world hates us.)

If you haven’t already, you need to check out Christian Standard’s recent list of books that made a difference to our contributing editors this year. They include history, theology, business leadership and current events and I’ve added several to my own must-reads list for 2009. N.T. Wright’s books, of course, were already there, but some others—including Nancy Karpenske’s mention of God Talk: Cautions for Those Who Hear God’s Voice and Doug Priest’s recommendation of Saving God’s Green Earth—are books I will benefit from and wouldn’t have found on my own.

Let me know what books influenced you this year. But if they involve Britney or professional wrestling, keep it to yourself.

new to you friday–eighth track

After I originally posted this, one reader told me how much he liked it and asked if I had written anything else on “P4.” Two years later I still haven’t, but I see examples each week, across industries, of dysfunction caused by poor processes or miscommunication. So the original track is still on frequent rotation.

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Every person is a CD with recurring “tracks”—comments, opinions or rants they can always be counted on to share when a given topic comes up.

For instance, my mom’s blood starts boiling when the conversation turns to Bible college students (often preaching majors) who think studying literature or anything non-hermeneutical is a waste of time. And it’s a righteous anger, too, because who are these 21 year old kids who have so much life experience and wisdom that they don’t—at the least—need artistic works as sources for sermon illustrations? (Read this for more on that.)

Or there’s my wonderful dad who, two minutes into watching any rerun, even the Cosby Show episodes my brother and I have memorized, will say, “You know, I don’t think I’ve seen this one.” (Hey, there are worse things than regular happy surprises from new-to-you TV.)


And today yet another phone call with yet another leader pushed the button for my own recurring track: Politics and Personalities will always negatively fill the void created by a lack of Processes and Procedure.

Call it “P4,” and think about the organizational dysfunctions you’re involved in—have the leaders made thoughtful, intentional choices about where things are going and how everyone’s going to get there? Have they communicated them? Have they made consistent decisions based on them?

The IT department that never solves your problem but creates plenty of new ones—is a leader developing a help desk system and holding team members accountable?

The blistering friction between sales and marketing—has anyone defined “customer service” and delegated the authority for developing new strategies?

The hours lost forever to phone calls, emails and meetings just to put out fires or resolve misunderstandings among frustrated people—is someone creating a work flow and communication structure to keep the same scenario from playing out again?


It’s not always this simple, of course; there are many other factors (and people) contributing to conflicts. A few systems won’t fix everything, and a focus on policies over mission can backfire.

But we also veer off mission if our people have to navigate chaos or infighting to make progress. And I’ve seen it enough that “P4″ has earned a place on Jen Taylor’s greatest hits.

new to you friday–unitasking

I’m only slightly better at this now, a whole year after the original post, so it’s a goal that’s carrying into 2011. And it’s even more necessary; with several new clients and three more email accounts, I just don’t have the luxury of wasting time. But even more importantly, I enjoy my work more and do a better job with it when I’m focused.

So I’m closing down the windows currently open on my laptop—the one for Wendy’s new fries with sea salt (anyone tried them yet?), the one for a kinda cool video of synchronized diving, the one for Facebook (yes, I know, the profiles are new, let’s all take a deep breath) and the one with a digital copy of Neue Magazine. Time to work.

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It’s a cliche this time of year to talk about “Christmas presence”—i.e. giving the gift of time or attention instead of something bought in a store. But like many overused phrases, it’s a popular idea because it’s a good one, and this year I’m giving that gift to myself.

I live my life as a multitasker. Some of it’s harmless, like paying bills while watching a favorite movie (I’ve seen “Clue” so many times I don’t even need to look up at the screen to know what’s going on) or dusting my bookshelves while talking on the phone.

But much of it’s not so positive. I routinely open six or seven web sites at a time (some of my nine email accounts, a few blogs, Twitter) and waste huge chunks of time flicking from one to the next instead of doing real work. Or I’ll start an email only to be distracted by a flash of brilliance (very occasionally) on a current project and will leave the note half-finished while I chase the next thought. I’ll start to vacuum the house only to be distracted by dishes in the sink, which I’ll start to load into the dishwasher before noticing the pile of mail on the counter and remembering I should pay the water bill, which takes me back to the computer for three very important minutes reading a Facebook quiz about the girl who sat behind me in 7th grade.


In many ways, this multitasking reveals a lack of discipline. And while it affects my productivity to some extent, it also affects my personality.

Constant shifts of attention, and the constant re-focusing required to finally finish things, leave my brain and spirit more weary than simply focusing on one project for an hour or two. I find myself chronically restless and scattered.

So I’m slowly and painfully moving toward unitasking—doing one thing, doing it well, then moving to the next. This pic provides my inspiration, although I check email every hour to avoid the “I’m just calling to leave a message to see if you got my email message about my phone message” craziness.

(A public service announcement: don’t be that person.)


This is less a resolution than a lifestyle shift. As we enter the busiest time of the year, you could also think of it as a sanity strategy for yourself. Many of us will spend this month managing our demanding lives by multitasking. As a result we’ll spend most of this season distracted, trying to do more but actually experiencing less.

This December I’m going to enjoy the present of being present for my life. Want to join me?



new to you friday—jen-in-the-box

In his book Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare, Jeremy Butterfield lists ten of the most irritating phrases in English, including “it’s not rocket science,” “with all due respect,” “fairly certain,” “I personally,” and “shouldn’t of.” (It’s shouldn’t have, folks, as in “I shouldn’t have slept through so many English classes.”)

I’d add another to his list: “out of the box.” The phrase isn’t just a cliche; I think it’s also become counterproductive.


All creative endeavors require boundaries—rules, even. In addition to correct grammar (shouldn’t have), effective writing requires various elements: paragraphs have topic sentences, sentences have nouns and verbs, and an English sonnet is always fourteen lines of ten syllables each. Music, whether it’s Beethoven or Beyonce, involves time signatures, rhythms, musical keys with specific sharps and flats, and much more. (So much more that I had to get a tutor to pass music theory in college.) Painting, photography, filmmaking—every creative enterprise is grounded in certain parameters.


Research backs me up; if you’ve read Made to Stick, you may recall the Israeli research team that asked three groups of novices to brainstorm ad campaigns. One group received no training, one participated in a two-hour free-association class, and one was trained for two hours on templates the research team had already identified as central to 90% of award-winning ads. Then each of the groups submitted their ideas to an independent creative director who had no knowledge of each group’s training.

Who created the best ads—the team without any boundaries, the team with two hours of encouragement to think outside those boundaries, or the team with instruction in six boundaries? You guessed it—the CD rated the third group’s ads 50% more creative. A few carefully-chosen boxes produced the most out-of-the-box results.


This means if you are leading a worship arts team planning Christmas services, the least helpful thing you can do is convene a brainstorming meeting and ask your team to think “out of the box” with “no bad ideas” and a “blue-sky” approach to a “blank page.”

For one thing, even as you urge this you already have an idea, however vague, of what you want Christmas at your church to look and feel like. You might even be one of the lucky few whose senior minister decides what he’s going to preach on before December 21. So if the two of you are thinking about a retro “Peanuts” Christmas feel with a straightforward gospel message, why waste 45 minutes of everyone’s time sharing ideas about how other cultures depict the incarnation? 30 minutes of discussion about favorite Christmas movies is fun, but only helpful if it’s on theme. And if you know the service will have an acoustic vibe, why burn brain cells figuring out where to rent a harp?

In other words, establish the box to channel creativity productively, not to stifle it. Of course, if you don’t know what key idea you’re going for, you’ve got bigger issues—figure that out alone or with a smaller group, then bring it to your team for brainstorming. With all due respect, I personally am fairly certain that’s the way to go, because it’s not……well, you know.

be my guest

This past weekend I found myself talking with a smart person who was making a good point in an interesting conversation. One of the things I really like about my life is this happens fairly regularly.

And when it does, I often think, “That would make a great blog post, and it’s something our little online community should talk about. But I don’t understand/know enough/have the background to write it as well as this person.”


And then I think, “I should open up the blog to occasional guest posts. But what if I did and no one actually wanted to contribute anything?”

But I also avoided having birthday parties as a child because I was afraid no one would come, when of course they would have and I could have doubled my haul of presents.

And I just finished going on about how important it is to FEAR NOT! So let’s give this a try.


Guest Post Guidelines
(that sounds nicer than rules, don’t you think?)

—Good topics include anything related to Christianity, the church, theology and its application to our lives, our faith and culture or a fresh take on a current event. Other topics are welcome if the post is well-written. Surprise me.

—Not-so-good topics include advertisements for your ministry/CD/book/website, partisan political rants, and anything related to potty-training your child.

—The post must be original (i.e. you wrote it, and you haven’t published it anywhere else).

—You agree not to publish it anywhere else (your own blog or website), although you can link to it from there.

—I will edit for grammar, clarity, spelling, etc.

—I may not publish every post I receive. I’m sure I’ll want to share yours because it’s awesome. But I have to write that just in case.

—I’ll let you know if/when I decide to publish your post.

Okay guys, let’s try this. Send your brilliance to jen@seejenwrite.com.

new to you friday–anablog

Last night I attended a networking Meetup organized by Catalyst. It was a really fun opportunity to meet some of Nashville’s young leaders and also eat decent Mexican food (a rare occurrence down here).

As the evening wore on, I noticed I was one of the few at the table not checking email, Twittering about the event, or snorkeling around the Web.


I’m actually planning to trade up to either an iPhone or a Droid when my contract renews in January; between managing blogs and social media for a number of clients and dealing with my crazy travel schedule, it’s become more important for me to have this convenience than when I wrote the original post. So I’ll be putting on some lip gloss and heading out to talk to Kevin The Verizon Guy again soon.


I dearly love the Internets. I’m looking forward to having a smart phone (and a protective case for when I inevitably drop it). It will be fun to lose at Words With Friends and Facebook Scrabble. But I plan to set boundaries on how frequently the phone leaves my purse (and how infrequently it gets to sit next to the guacamole). I’m still more interested in being present to the people around me than being present on Twitter.

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It’s entertaining, actually, to see the looks.


“You don’t have cable?”

“You use a binder with paper to stay organized?”

“You don’t have an iPhone yet?”


The fact is, in many areas of life I am unapologetically low-tech.

This isn’t so I can claim self-righteous superiority, like those people who tell you they spent the evening re-reading Ulysses when you ask if they watched “The Bachelor.” (Although this is a bad example, because WHY would you be watching “The Bachelor?” And if you are, why are you admitting it to others?)

No, my reluctance to purchase some technology is not rooted in pride. I have a Mac, I don’t leave home without my iPod, and if I loved the Internet any more I’d have to marry it to avoid a scandal. But I’m not a big fan of gadgets, even the ones that supposedly improve my life.

My phone died this weekend, so I stopped by the Verizon store to get a new one—a cheap one, because I don’t spend a lot of money on cell phones. For one thing, I drop mine about once a week and it doesn’t hurt much to drop something I got for $29.99 with a two year contract. It would hurt to drop an iPhone.


But I haven’t refused the upgrades just because I’m a klutz; the main reason is my aforementioned love affair with all things online borders on addiction.

If I had a Blackberry or iPhone I’d constantly be reading email or updating Twitter. I’d waste even more time than I already do following obscure links or watching video. And I don’t want to be online every minute. I don’t want the constant temptation to check out of the here and now so I can check my email instead, or be one of those people who can’t sit through a movie (or conversation) without texting.

So I simply told Kevin the Verizon salesperson, who actually looked a little like the “Can you hear me now” guy, that I wanted a basic LG phone—preferably that schnazzy red one to his right.

He looked like I’d just suggested he eat his Bluetooth earpiece.

“You don’t want to download music? Or send email? Or edit video? Or find out the time in Belize?”

“No, just……make calls. Send texts, maybe. I guess that’s standard now.”

“Hmmm.” He raised one eyebrow and pointed me to the three non-smart phones the store had to offer.


In the end, I left the store without buying anything—the red one was sold out (apparently I am not the only person in search of something basic) and Kevin gave me a new battery so my ancient phone works just fine. Because flirting is also low-tech.

new to you friday–success story

Once upon a time there lived a freelance writer who really wanted to attend STORY.


In 2010, because of a generous person, this writer attended the second-annual conference. She heard amazing speakers like Charlie Todd, Andrew Klavan, Jason Fried and David McFadzean. She sat at the feet of legendary UCLA screenwriting professor Richard Walter (literally–there was no more room on the couch). She got some free stuff and met Ben Arment and heard Amena Brown share one of her newest poems at an Elements event at the city’s “premiere gay and lesbian bar” before snagging the last cheese pizza at a place down the street and eating it with her buddy Kyle while standing outside on one of the summer’s last lovely nights.

And that was just day one.

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Humorist and cookbook author Peg Bracken once described the difference between a gourmet cook and her own humble efforts this way:

[The gourmet's] assignment had been dessert. So, at dessert time, she brought out big plastic bags of old-fashioned plump chocolate-marshmallow cookies.

“I adore these, don’t you?” she beamed, handing them around. And everyone did, thinking, moreover, How original, how posh! But if someone else had done this they’d have thought, Poor child, how naive!

The same principle applies in other areas—people already established as successes in a particular field can often do no wrong, while an unknown but equally-talented counterpart couldn’t pull off the same thing.

This struck me Monday as the buzz began building around Ben Arment’s announcement of his new STORY conference scheduled this October in Chicago. Until this week Arment served as the “Innovation and Experience Director” at Catalyst and is now going out on his own to create a production company for live events and film. STORY is his first project in this new role.

As soon as the news hit, so did the twittering:

@Church Relevance: Ben Arment is putting together another fresh ministry conference called STORY.

@mknisely: #STORY is going 2 do something significant 4 church communicators & open the possibilities 2 a new way of thinking.

@vjProctor: check out STORY by @BenArment – a first-of-its-kind experience -

@GBrenna: I’m pretty excited about this!!! (thanks @BenArment)

@mknisely: dude. #STORY is going to be off the hook. i cannot wait.



I’m not knocking the conference; in fact, Monday I emailed Christian Standard and offered it to cover it if they would pay my expenses and registration. (No response yet.)

But what I find amazing is that within minutes, hundreds of people around the world were not only talking about this new venture but singing its praises. It’s true Arment has a history of successes, and that influences us; J.J. Abrams was able to get the new Star Trek movie made in part because of his track record creating TV shows like LOST, Alias, and Fringe. We all build on past successes and Arment’s work speaks for itself.

So kudos to him. But I wonder what would happen if someone else, someone less well known and less affiliated with other hip initiatives, created the exact same conference. How much do we miss out on because it’s new or needs better branding? Is it that loser’s fault for not doing a better job grabbing our attention, or ours for being so hard to impress?

In the investment world, past performance does not guarantee future results. But in marketing and personal branding, past coolness predicts future acceptance. “Mrs. Tiffany can wear paste beads, and J. Paul Getty can wear out-at-the-elbow sweaters, too,” Bracken writes. “That’s the way the world wags, and no one has yet discovered what to do about it.”

must read

I’ve GOT to start reading more.

Reading has always been one of my very favorite things to do, but I also like earning a living, and lately I’ve spent all my time writing words for others and not reading the words of others.

And I’m worse off for it. As Michael Hyatt writes, leaders are readers. (Sure, he’s CEO of Thomas Nelson, but he’s still right.) I can’t think of a better way to learn about the past and understand today than by reading. On a Kindle, an iPad, a laptop, or even (gasp!) holding the pages of a newspaper or novel—there’s simply too much going on not to make the time.


For instance, I really need to finish J.M. Roberts’ A Short History of the World. Although I received a good liberal arts education in college, I have huge gaps in my understanding of historical time periods and how they fit together. I plan to finish this book soon, along with Church History in Plain Language—my grasp of that topic is even sketchier.

Then I have to read Denialism; the subtitle is “How irrational thinking hinders scientific progress, harms the planet, and threatens our lives.” Enough said.

A friend gave me The Hole in Our Gospel, which is changing the way some Christians are thinking about their faith. Why? I’d know if I read it. Yancey’s got a new one coming out. Another friend recommended Einstein’s God, and I’ve had Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer on my bookshelf for months. Then there’s the weekly influx of magazines and the dailyness of the daily news. I also subscribe to some blogs, from the professionally helpful (like Hyatt’s) to the simply silly (People of Walmart, anyone?).


I’ll still read for fun, but I’m starting to understand reading is not just an activity after I’ve finished my work (which never happens). It’s an important part of my work. How can I comment on the world around me if I’m not constantly learning more about it?

I’m going to start reading at least an hour each day, and you all can hold me to it—next week I’ll review a great new book and even give away a signed copy. In the meantime, help me out: what books, websites, blogs, and magazines are most helpful to you? What do I need to check out?

finding myself stuck

Somehow I have reached the age of 34 without knowing who I am.

Remember that scene in the movie “Runaway Bride” when Julia Roberts’ character Maggie realizes she doesn’t even know how she likes her eggs? I can relate.

For instance, I spent Memorial Day weekend in New York City with my brother and sister-in-law. I adore New York: the subways, the museums, the food, the parks, the newsstands with beautiful flowers, the ability to buy 14 kinds of olives at 2 a.m. I found myself wondering if perhaps I should have moved there, instead of Nashville, a few years ago.

Then I returned home and spent two lovely days planting my first-ever garden full of heirloom tomatoes, peppers, berries and herbs. I hosted some family and friends for the weekend and enjoyed having a house large enough to play hostess and the fun of introducing them to the Tokens Show, contemplating which carb-laden southern eatery to visit and admiring magnolias and dogwoods at the botanical garden. Maybe Nashville was the right choice after all?

Someone of a more optimistic bent might say I’m simply adaptable, able to be happy in a variety of circumstances. That’s probably true, but it doesn’t answer the identity crisis questions I should have grappled with 15 years ago.


Or take the conversation I had with my brother, who very kindly said, “Your freelancing life looks good on you,” and affirmed my self-discipline in working from home and my ability to accept the uncertainty of a varying monthly income. And I thought, yes……what is that about? I dislike ambiguity in anything. Worry is my life. How am I so worry-free about cash flow?

Or there was the friend who remarked, after I shared some of these thoughts, that I seem like an outgoing, career-oriented person with very clear goals. In reality I am a shy person who would love to work less and whose primary goals are paying the bills on time and staying thin by eating less cheese. I’ve been completely authentic in my friendship with this person; how am I projecting a persona so different from the real me? How much is the real me?


More years ago than seems possible, I graduated college on a Saturday and entered the work force on Monday. I jumped right into a job, a place of my own, a car payment and a 50-hour week. Unlike many of my contemporaries, I took no time between high school and college, or college and life, to travel and experiment and discover………and now I’m feeling it.

Is it too late to backpack through Europe? Can I be an honorary Millennial even if I have a mortgage?


If you think this is the navel-gazing of a spoiled 21st century American, you’re right. Previous generations—those great ones—had wars to fight and countries to build and pennies to pinch. “Finding themselves” meant deciding which company to work at for forty years.

But I’m willing to work hard, too……have been, in fact, for 12 years. I just want to work with greater focus, toward goals of my own. I want purpose, not laziness. I want to want something.

I dream of having a dream, and the time and space to figure it out. In the meantime, I know one thing: I like my eggs scrambled. With cheese.