By Mark A. Taylor
Some of the best advice I ever received was from Roy Lawson, longtime member of Standard Publishing”s Publishing Committee, and one of this magazine”s original contributing editors.
“Emphasize people,” he told me when I asked for ways to make CHRISTIAN STANDARD more effective. “Highlight what people are doing. Promote their ministries and their accomplishments.”
Through the years I”ve followed that advice in more ways than one, including a series of special posts you”ll be seeing at this site starting today, all of them from our July print edition”s central feature, “The Best (or Worst!) Advice I Ever Received.”
I love these pieces for several reasons.
First, or course, is the advice itself. More than one of these tips is already helping me with my work or my relationships or my walk with God. I think readers will feel the same.
Second, are the stories. Did you know Wayne Smith is a major reason Jack Cottrell went to Bible college? Would you have guessed that Bob Russell wanted Southeast Christian Church”s first new building to seat only 1,500? Did you ever hear Doug Priest tell how he was set on a lifetime of service by his dad at a boarding school in Ethiopia? Or that, as a young man, Ziden Nutt was challenged and inspired by the sacrifice and spirituality of J. Russell Morse, and as an older man preached Morse”s funeral?
The third reason I love these posts is the pictures. Where else will you see Robert Hull in his garden or Ben Cachiaras skydiving or Gary Weedman waist-deep in a fishing stream? Only at our site this month.
We encourage you to add your comments to your favorites as they appear at our site. While you”re writing, you may even want to add some advice of your own!
Here”s a piece of advice we have for you: Be sure and come back every Wednesday to read a new post by Jim Tune. Jim””persistent church planter, powerful gospel preacher, avid reader, and free thinker””has joined us as a regular contributor, and we”re delighted.
We think you will be, too. Last week”s introductory entry is only the beginning of his fresh views on the state of the church and the need for bold leaders in a difficult age. What a great midweek treat! Be sure you read and comment and share with others.
One more reminder””If you haven”t downloaded the new CHRISTIAN STANDARDÂ app, why not? It”s free. It”s loaded with a bunch of free content. And it provides an elegant way to enjoy CHRISTIAN STANDARD, dive deep into our rich archive of content, and share your favorite clips, quotes, or whole articles in almost any way you can imagine.
Try it and you”ll see why we”ve adopted the slogan “More Than a Magazine” to describe the new experience you”ll enjoy when you try our new digital edition on your smartphone or tablet.
Author: Mark A. Taylor
Mark A. Taylor, who served as Christian Standard editor from 2003 to 2017, retired in June 2017 after almost 41 years with Standard Publishing (Christian Standard Media).
