Tag Archive - Off the Record

OTR – William Paul Young

March 3, 2009 in Off the Record, Reading with 10 Comments

Paul Young (he actually goes by his middle name) is the bestselling author of the book, The Shack. As of this writing, The Shack is still the #1 NY Times Bestseller, 36 weeks running, over 6 million in print. The book will soon be appearing in more than 30 languages around the world and in audio versions in many countries as well. The book tells a fictional story of a man who gets a letter from God inviting him to a shack for the weekend where a horrible event took place in his life. His encounter with God changes his life forever, and it may just change yours as the reader too.

Because of the book’s massive success, Paul has been criticized by some for his theology in the book. From my perspective, if you read this as a fictional story of one man’s speculation about God, it can be a powerful encouragement for experiencing or renewing your own journey with God through the Bible.

You can check out Paul’s website here.


The Shack

Jeremy: Tell us something odd/unique about you.

Paul: I didn’t comprehend that I was not black, but white, until I went to boarding school when I was six years old. Still didn’t understand it, but was disappointed.

Jeremy: Do you think people are born leaders or develop into leaders?

Paul: No one is born a leader…I have never seen a baby care for anyone but themselves. If the question is, “Is leadership something that is in the genetics of an individual?” again, I would say no. Leadership is such a fuzzy concept anyway. If someone uses their charisma to lure people into destructive behaviors, does that count? Does advertising indicate leadership because it can create a following for something real or imagined? I think true leadership is no different than being a true servant, doesn’t even matter if you end up alone on a cross, eh?

Jeremy: How can people put themselves into a position to influence culture?

Paul: You can either use the tools that culture provides, which I believe will only have temporary value, or you can be involved in a relationship with a God who is doing so all the time, in ways that would never qualify. If anything matters, everything matters…and suddenly even the smallest acts of kindness, grace and forgiveness are influencing and changing the culture. I am simply neither wise enough nor energetic enough to try to do this on my own. We do what God has put in front of us today, and let him take care of the rest.

The ShackJeremy: Why are you a follower of Jesus Christ?

Paul: Desperation mostly…and damage that no one else could heal. And I love him…what is there not to love. I am a follower because he came and found me and kissed me with life and wonder and grace and …

Jeremy: What do you do personally to keep your spiritual life active and healthy?

Paul: Nothing consistent. Not one for quiet times and such, not that they aren’t probably helpful for some…but me, I never got the hang of them – and I tried for decades. For me all spiritual disciplines are reduced to hearing and seeing and then being involved in the conversations of life that take place on any given day. No formulas but an open heart to the presence of an indwelling Jesus, ears that hear his voice and eyes that see Papa’s activity in all the details of life happening right in front of me. You could say prayer and fellowship are parts of that but even these are more woven into the tapestry of the day rather than planned, and both incredible gifts. But other activities would include laughing and tears, music and dancing, reading and silence, and right now, sitting in the corner of an airport waiting for a flight for five hours after my first one was canceled fingering words into the digital world and smiling a lot.

Jeremy: What is your hope for the future of the Church in America?

Paul: My hope, which is sure and certain because it is in Jesus and not in our agendas or wishful thinking, is that the Church will continue to move toward authenticity and honesty, that we would clothe ourselves with humility and love, that our compassion and forgiveness would become our reputation and that we would be called upon to heal the wounds of the world because ours have been healed.

Jeremy: Should we abandon the use of the word “Christian” for a better term? If so, what?

Paul: Most of the time, yes! Because the term has deteriorated to the point of hardly being useful. It divides and separates rather than invites. If one does use it, one has always better define and clarify or who knows what is in the minds of those who hear the term. Jesus never used the term and never identified with it. Today it mostly identifies a ‘religion’ that competes in the smorgasbord of religions, a competition that does not attract me whatsoever.

Jeremy: What blogs/websites do you regularly check?

Paul: I don’t. Some occasionally come to my attention and there are many with much good to say. Maybe when my life slows a bit…maybe? I have found that many bloggers are looking for an identity, and often they use negativity to establish it…what they are opposed to rather than agree with. Too bad, but quite predictable. But others are pursuing Jesus and honesty and laughter and wonder and they are like breaths of fresh air.

Jeremy: Which books have shaped your thinking?

Paul: A lot of books, or at least, pieces of books. My library is full of them, books and writers that have touched me in unique ways at just the right time. It seems to be about timing, but it is not ours. Genres have been from deep theology, to physics and cosmology, science fiction to poetry, classics and philosophy, humor and ethics, sociology and anthropology…pretty eclectic actually. Often it is not a book, but a single idea or thought that resulted from reading that has caused waves of transformational change.

William Paul Young - The Shack

Jeremy: What music moves you?

Paul: Much the same with music. Very eclectic and I have very specific tastes. I have been profoundly more influenced, for the good, by ‘secular’ musicians than ‘christian’ – and I use both terms loosly. Churchy musicians aren’t often near as honest as those creating art out of real life. And I am one of those persons who gets very focused on the creative muse resident in the lyrics, although a good instumental piece can also send me places that are full of wonder and creativity. Opera in a foreign language…just doesn’t do it for me, although I once saw Madam Butterfly in English, and it touched me.

Jeremy: Any other thoughts or advice?

Paul: Learn to live inside one day’s worth of grace, to enjoy the Presence of the One who knows you best and loves you most, grow in trusting the love that pursues and embraces you relentlessly, let go of control and learn to laugh at yourself…that is all the advice I have for today. :)

Click here to see more Off the Record interviews.

OTR – Zach Lind

January 7, 2009 in Off the Record with 9 Comments

Zach Lind is the drummer for the band Jimmy Eat World. He keeps up a great blog called Finding Rhythm and is constantly striving for new and relevant ways to live out his faith. He has challenged me to think bigger on a number of different of issues and how they relate to our faith.



Jeremy: Tell us something odd/unique about you.
Zach: I bake my own bread.


Jeremy: Do you think people are born leaders or develop into leaders?
Zach: I don’t think people are born to be leaders, especially good ones. In my opinion, it is something that is learned or developed. Leadership is a pretty broad category. It can require very different qualities for different settings. For example, Churchill was a good leader but so was Ghandi. It seems to me that, in general, the best leaders are the ones who can adapt to challenges, relate well to the people around them and find some way to gain respect and authority with their group. If that authority is perceived to be inauthentic or undeserved, then the only option is to control the group rather than lead the group. If that doesn’t work then maybe mutiny isn’t too far off.


Jeremy: How can people put themselves into a position to influence our culture?
Zach: I don’t really think of it that way I guess. Maybe I’m wrong, but the question seems to imply that “our culture” is divided up between “us vs. them” and that we, as Christians, need to somehow get “them” to change. I’ve given up on this way of viewing the world a long time ago. I’ve learned that, whether I like it or not, I am a participant in the culture I find myself in and the exchange of influence operates on a two-way street. The only way I’m convinced that I can positively contribute to the culture is to be humble, open, willing to listen, to be who God has made me to be, no more, no less, and to be willing to take the risk of sharing myself with the world around me. Now, whether or not I do that well is another matter.


Jeremy: Why are you a follower of Jesus Christ?
Zach: Honestly, most likely because my parents raised me in a Christian environment. I ultimately rejected the kind of belief system I was introduced to as a child, but somehow, mysteriously, God has kept me around one way or another and I’m extremely grateful he has. Now, when I ask myself that question, it all points towards the life of Christ. Jesus’ life is the divine example of humility, sacrifice, forgiveness, pure Love. It’s all too unbelievable and scandalous to ignore.


Jeremy: What do you do personally to keep your spiritual life active and healthy?
Zach: I don’t agree that there is a distinction between my life and my “spiritual life.” It’s all the same. Every choice I make, every thought that passes by, every action I take is spiritual in nature. So in order for my “spiritual life” to be healthy, I must investigate all that I think, say and do. What seems to be becoming clearer to me is that much of what I think, say and do is rooted in “my flesh” as Paul would say, or my ego, or my shadow, or my false self. To uproot the ego I must somehow die to my false self and to become aware of who God has created me to be, which has nothing to do with what I think, say and do, but because I exists, I’m a child of God and all the validation I could ever need rests solely in that fact. To shed the lie that is my false self or the “outside of the cup” and simply rest in the identity that I have in Christ is the only act that matters and the only way to be truly healthy. Over the past year I’ve been exploring the practice of contemplative or silent, centering prayer which is a kind of meditation that’s been very helpful in this regard. Father Richard Rohr and Father Thomas Keating both write wonderfully about this very pursuit. I can’t recommend their books and teachings enough.


Jeremy: What is your hope for the future of the Church in America?
Zach: I think the Church in America is at a critical crossroads and that American Christianity is at the beginning stages of a very bumpy journey. There is definitely a kind of re-formation going on and I’m afraid it’s gonna get ugly. So my hope is as these kinds of major shifts occur, it doesn’t get too bloody. I pray for unity amidst the conflict.


Jeremy: Should we abandon the use of the word “Christian” for a better term? If so, what?
Zach: I don’t think we can abandon the word, whether we want to or not. But we must recognize that the word describes or names everything and nothing at the same time. Fred Phelps (the God Hates Fags pastor) and Bishop Eugene Robinson (the first openly gay Episcopal priest) are both Christians. That’s a pretty broad spectrum and so, obviously, it’s a tricky word. Personally, I’m not all that interested in switching the wording around to make what faith I prescribe to sound more palatable. The reason why some shy away from the term “Christian” isn’t due to the failure of the word; it’s due to the failure of Christians. What we call ourselves is of little importance when having to wrestle with how we move and act in the world.


Jeremy: What blogs/websites do you regularly check?
Zach: My favorite blog is written by a guy named Andrew Sullivan. I also enjoy bloggingheads.tv. Another favorite blog is Slacktivist. I often check out Belief.net and the Christian Century.


Jeremy: Which books have shaped your thinking?
Zach: Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr
New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber
Grace and Grit by Ken Wilber
Stages of Faith by James Fowler
How (Not) to Speak of God – Peter Rollins
Open Mind Open Heart – Father Thomas Keating


Jeremy: What music moves you?
Zach: Ryan Adams, Calexico, Wheat, Wilco, Warren Zevon, Elliott Smith, Portastatic, Muse, Radiohead, Gustavo Santaololla, U2, REM


Jeremy: Any other thoughts or advice?
Zach: Never use real milk when baking bread. Always use dry milk.


To see other Off The Record interviews click here.

OTR – Dr. Andrew Jackson

December 12, 2008 in Blogging, Culture, Leadership, Links, Off the Record with 6 Comments

I had the opportunity to spend a lunch with Dr. Andrew Jackson for an Off the Record interview. No, I’m not referring to our 7th President. This Andrew Jackson is an author, blogger, networker, and spiritual-activist. He recently released a book called Mormonism Explained: What Latter-Day Saints Teach and Practice. He also runs the website smartchristian.com in addition to a number of other sites. His website is “a blog outlet providing lifestreaming stuff, top-quality information and breaking news on religion, politics, including numerous resources, references, and relational connection.”
In addition, he has started a Christian Bloggers Network with more than 700 bloggers affiliated with it. When it comes to technology, blogging, and having a faith that actually impacts our world, Dr. Jackson is an innovative leader to learn from. I have tried to record his responses to my questions as accurately as I’m able to but some of his answers may not be direct quotes down to every single word. Also, if I wrote down all of the intriguing information that I heard from him at our lunch then this post would be at least 3 times longer than it already is. Let’s just say that he is a pretty intriguing guy.



Jeremy: Tell us something odd/unique about you:
Dr. Jackson: I’m a unique combination. I am an extremely focused person and at the same time I’m totally a big picture person. I’m driven by a theology of the kingdom of God. In light of that I think very big and broad. That’s probably a main characteristic of who I am. It plays out into a lot of the things I do. I would consider myself to be an initiator and pioneer. I’m very focused. This is my strength and also my weakness at times. I’m not always aware of what’s going on in my surroundings!


Jeremy: Do you think people are born leaders or develop into leaders?
Dr. Jackson: From a Biblical perspective, God gives gifts to people so it is an act of God. Leadership can only be defined in context. Leadership cannot be understood in an abstract. So somebody that is a leader in one context could be a terrible leader in another context. I would say that people are born with different personalities and that leaders are gifted, out of which they are made. I consider leadership as a lifelong process that God does in a person. I consider God to be the developer of a leader in the end. There is certain training that we can do. A leader is to equip, inspire, and release people into their calling. People that consider themselves leaders in organizations, a lot of times, are people that I wouldn’t consider a leader. I’d call them managers.


Jeremy: How can people put themselves in a position to influence our culture?
Dr. Jackson: You have to have an incarnational perspective. Meaning, first of all you have to be in the culture. You have to be in the culture but not of the culture. Then, identifying with the heart of God for that culture. What emerges out of that are the vehicles of relationship and communication. Today, if you are not doing this online, you are not impacting this culture. But, I can be online and still not have an impact on this culture if I don’t have a heart, or a real understanding, or a grasp of what are the issues of that culture. The incarnational component to me is the heart of God. Identifying with a culture, and then the online is simply a tool that you are able to interact the Gospel message and Gospel Truth through. You have to have new wineskins or else you’re not identifying.


Jeremy: Why are you a follower of Jesus?
Dr. Jackson: For whatever reason, God sovereignly intervened in my life. I say this theologically but I really mean it. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. I was out of high school and I came to the Lord in Amsterdam, Holland. It was a sovereign experience. God initiated His involvement in my life. I didn’t figure Him out. But it was also out of a time of really searching for truth. My heart was really searching for truth too.


Jeremy: What do you do personally do keep your spiritual life active and healthy?
Dr. Jackson: I’m engaged Biblically. Staying as a seeker of truth. I’m very much a learner. I approach it as that. I try to be engaged in the global movement of God. Being involved in core trends and activities that involve people and engaging in those. The vehicles through which that come out is through teaching. The online expression is a means of doing that as well. I consider myself always in formation, always in development. Even now I feel that I’m entering into a whole new phase of understanding and development.


Jeremy: What is your hope for the future of the Church in America?
Dr. Jackson: I have tremendous hope if the Church is serious about seeking the kingdom of God. I have a kingdom oriented vision of the Church. I have no hope, or very little hope, of cultural impact or advancement with a church (organization, mechanism) mentality. But I have tremendous hope in God. God can do amazing things no matter how bad things get or look. I did my Doctorate in church renewal movements through history. There have been historical pictures of tremendous darkness, even American history, of decline, where people become very pessimistic about the Church. I come out of that with tremendous hope that God is able to do greater things than we can imagine or think in culture. But there has to be a movement of kingdom believers. I’m really a believer in kingdom prayer, kingdom worship, and kingdom aspirations and hope. If the Church is not a steward of the kingdom than it has no purpose for existing. But, if the Church does exist to serve the kingdom of God, then I have great hope.


Jeremy: Should we abandon the use of the word “Christian” for a better term? If so, what?
Dr. Jackson: I’m not one to think that removing a term, like the name Christian, just to do it, has any value. Live what you are. If you call yourself a Christian or if you call yourself a Jesus follower than that is fine. Even if you call yourself a Jesus follower and don’t live for Jesus than it is going to do the same thing. I think there are different contexts for how you should use the term. You have to be sensitive. It is good to try to redefine what it means. The Biblical truth of when in Antioch they called them Christians; what did that mean? Maybe there are other terms that can bring content to it. I don’t think we need to throw it out thinking that it is spiritual but I do think that we need to bring content to it. Utilizing other terms isn’t bad. It can be a good way to help people. I’ve been doing missionary work to Turkey since 89′ and the idea of using the word Christian there is deadly. So we have to use other terms. So it is relevant, especially in the global world that we are living in. It’s really what’s coming out of your life. I like the idea of being a “Kingdom Christian.”


Jeremy: What blogs/websites do you regularly check?
Dr. Jackson: There are a variety of kinds of websites that I check, not necessarily on a daily basis.
Andrew Jones – http://tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com/
Mark D. Roberts – http://www.markdroberts.com/
Tim Challies – http://www.challies.com/
Jeremy Pierce – http://parablemania.ektopos.com/
Hugh Hewitt – http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog


Jeremy: What books/authors have shaped your thinking?
Dr. Jackson: George Eldon Ladd and Howard Snyder have written a handful of great books on the kingdom of God. Many of the emerging church issues were happening during the Jesus Movement. That’s where they are all coming from.


Jeremy: Any other thoughts or advice?
Dr. Jackson: Discipleship cannot happen outside of community. And that’s one of the main themes of the emerging church. But I’m not sure that the emerging church grasps community as much as just hanging relationally. Community is pretty sacrificial.
To see other Off the Record interviews click here.

OTR – Jamie Tworkowski

October 26, 2008 in Culture, Leadership, Off the Record with 21 Comments

Jamie Tworkowski is the founder of To Write Love On Her Arms, a non-profit organization that helps people dealing with issues like depression, cutting, and suicide. It started as being the church for a girl named Renee and has morphed into a t-shirt company and so much more. Jamie has opened up a conversation that was often taboo to discuss; sadly even in churches. As a result, they are seeing more and more people address these issues and give hope a chance.

Jeremy: Tell us something odd/unique about you.

Jamie: I have a scar above my mouth and the scar arrived when I was thirteen and ran into a mailbox while playing football in the street. It was the street I grew up on and I caught the ball running full-speed, crashed into the mailbox, knocked the mailbox to the ground… I lost a tooth and needed stitches but I held on to the ball. The awesome part about it is that i held on to the ball.

Jeremy: Do you think people are born leaders or develop into leaders?

Jamie: I really don’t know. I do think people grow and change, that it’s possible to find gifts or begin to run after things later in life. I think God has a sense of humor and tends to surprise us in who he allows to lead. Also, I believe “leadership” can mean a lot of different things – it’s not just the guy up front with the microphone.

Jeremy: How can people put themselves into a position to influence our culture?

Jamie: Good question. I think we have to engage culture. We have to do our best to understand culture – the places people live, the things that matter to people, the needs they live with. I don’t think we can influence culture if we’re afraid of it, running away from it or simply trying to create (or join) some alternative culture. We have to meet people where they are, and we have to invest in things that are relative to the needs that real people really live with. Beyond that, I believe that most good ideas start small, and I believe that people respond to love and also to humility.

Jeremy: Why are you a follower of Jesus Christ?

Jamie: When I look at the world, when I look at my life and life’s biggest questions, the story of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ helps me make sense of a lot of those questions. His life and death are a picture of love and love helps me make sense of existence, purpose, relationships, community… so many things. And if the world is broken, then this presents a disconnect, a need… and this helps me understand that the story of Jesus is not just a good story or a nice philosophy. If the world is in fact broken, which it sure seems to be, and if Jesus was who He said He was, then His death on the cross and His victory over death, it changes everything.

twlohaJeremy: What do you do personally to keep your spiritual life active and healthy?

Jamie: I don’t know that I would call my spiritual life particularly active or healthy. If I’m honest, I think I have a long way to go. If I am going to tell people that I am “in a relationship with Jesus,” then I should talk to Him more, and I should spend a whole lot more time trying to listen and trying to learn. For now, I am thankful for grace and also for music. I feel like I find God in songs quite a bit. Oh and for some reason, I feel like it’s easier for me to pray when I’m surfing. In surfing, there are a lot of moments of waiting for waves. I don’t know why but this is when it’s easiest for me to pray.

Jeremy: What is your hope for the future of the Church in America?

Jamie: That we would apologize for the mistakes we (as the Church) have made in the past, and that we would actually learn to behave and communicate in a way that represents Christ. By that, I mean a way that is inviting, a way that meets needs and learns how to love people.

Jeremy: Should we abandon the use of the word “Christian” for a better term? If so, what?

Jamie: I think we have to acknowledge the way the word has been abused and misrepresented for years and years. I was walking into a concert in Atlanta last Saturday night and there was a guy standing close to the front entrance, yelling at the people in line as they went in, basically telling people that they were going to Hell. An experience like that doesn’t make anyone in that line think “Wow, I really want to be a Christian.” or “Man, I should really check out a church tomorrow morning.” There’s just so many examples of really terrible things happening “in the name of God” and I think we have to begin by acknowledging the mistakes that have been made, the way the Church has offended people. There is a book called UNchristian by Gabe Lyons and David Kinnaman that speaks to this topic. The book is based on three years of research as to what people outside the Church actually think of the Church (or “Christians”). The results are eye opening and sobering to say the least – I think it’s an important book.

Jeremy: What blogs/websites do you regularly check?

Jamie: donaldmillerwords.com (Donald Miller’s website); aspworldtour.com (website for the professional surfing world tour. I have a few friends that compete on this tour.); worldprosurfers.com (another pro surfing site. My friend Dustin creates the video content for this site.); surfermag.com (I really like surfing); nba.com (I grew up playing basketball and rooting for the Orlando Magic.); johnmayer.com (I am a John Mayer fan and his blog is great.)

Jamie Tworkowski - TWLOHAJeremy: Which books have shaped your thinking?

Jamie: Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller is the big one for me. It changed a lot of things for me. I was just blown away by the combination of honesty and beauty, the things Don was saying the way that he was saying them. That book taught me so many things and moved me in so many ways – made me think and laugh and cry. Blue Like Jazz was the book that taught me that it might be okay to be honest, okay to ask questions. It was also the book that taught me about community, that people need other people. Maybe more than anything, it was the book that made me want to start writing.

Jeremy: What music moves you?

Jamie: My all-time favorites are U2, Coldplay, Jimmy Eat World, Switchfoot, Jeff Buckley and Ryan Adams. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Ray Lamontagne. I saw him play in Atlanta last week and his voice is just incredible. The music is simple and some would say it’s sad but I find this amazing honesty in his lyrics. Imagery too – he is a great storyteller. My favorite Ray Lamontagne song is a song called “Jolene” and in that song, he sings “I still don’t know what love means.” For some reason, that line really hits me. It feels honest and true. Overall, I think it’s hard to explain why a certain band or song moves you, but I think we can all agree it’s great when it happens. I guess for me it usually has to do with something feeling true in the lyrics.

Jeremy: Any other thoughts or advice?

Jamie: You were created to love and to be loved, to know and to be known.

To see other Off the Record interviews click here.

Off the Record

October 26, 2008 in Church, Leadership, Off the Record with 1 Comment

I’ve started a new section on my blog called “Off the Record.” This is a chance for me to interview different leaders who are impacting the Church in America today. This will be a great resource for other leaders to get insight from those who God is using in amazing ways. This will also help us to have a Kingdom mindset and to be aware of what God is doing in other communities. And it gives you a behind-the-scenes look into very interesting people!


The first interview is with Jamie Tworkowski, the founder of To Write Love On Her Arms. You can get to it anytime by clicking the “Off the Record” link at the top of the page. This is where you’ll find the interview with Jamie and where I’ll be posting future interviews as well. Check it out and be sure to leave your comments on what you think!

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