17 (Or So) Things I Did Last Week

Last Wednesday morning, I took off for the national meeting of the Evangelical Press Association (EPA) in Westminster, Colorado (near Denver). Among other tasks, I served on a panel of professional editors who are print natives in the digital world. We were helping digital natives understand why "listicles" (articles comprised of lists) can feel to us like "Ten Easy Steps to the Deep Mysteries of God." And why writing titles and headlines for the web can also feel like taking an exacto knife to a painting (pop titles often carve out metaphors and replace them with words designed for SEO). Our group was also trying to help younger managers know how to guide their older employees.One of the big names at Christianity Today told me that some of his coworkers are quite aware when someone makes a racist or sexist remark, but they seem oblivious to ageism. We're trying to help both groups "do unto others...."One afternoon, a group of us got to hear from the team at Gloo in their Boulder offices. And while in that town, we met with principals from the boutique ad agency that handles the Starbucks account, among others. They shared generously about their best practices and showed us their innovative space. I came away with some great ideas.Pretty much everybody says content is back as king (as opposed to content + delivery systems), and print is here to stay. So that's good news. I liken print and digital to microwaves and traditional ovens—we need both. Would you want your mama to roll out the dough and nuke her pumpkin pie?Some of the CT folks (who raked in the awards) did stellar workshops. I'm still processing the terrific content.I also got to do a 6 AM prayer walk—yes, in the Rockies—with some writer friends old and new. We saw rabbits scampering and heard geese arguing. I learned during that time that one of our profs and three of our grads worked on the new NIV Study Bible, coming out in August. Cool!And Kindred Spirit magazine (which I edit) won a Higher Goals award last week for our issue on financial stewardship against some tough competition. So that was gratifying.The general sessions started at 8:30 AM, and the organizers did a good job of making sure the speakers kept us awake. The high-energy Axis team helped us print natives better understand Millennials.The CEO of Compassion, International, told his story one night. That was riveting. We also heard from up-and-coming musicians, as well as Matthew Ward (my favorite of the performers). And I had the chance to preview the movie War Room, coming in August from the Kendrick brothers. They're the guys who did Fireproof, Courageous...family movies. I was coming off a 14-hour day...but I did find myself checking my watch at times, and I felt some of the dialogue, especially about female submission, felt clichéd. Still, the message was good, and the acting from Priscilla Shirer was outstanding.After EPA, I had a mini-reunion with friends from an Israel press junket we took in 2009. And then I headed to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, 90 miles away, for a wedding. One of my fave former students was marrying a cadet and getting married at the amazing chapel there. When she found out I'd be in town the weekend of the wedding (!), she asked me to participate in the ceremony—offering the blessing. Such a gift of perfect timing!I had a blast . At the reception, they had so many people of all ages dancing that even the employees of the venue stopped serving and joined in. One of them told me, "This is the most awesome group ever!" Yes. Yes, it was.Yesterday morning as I drove back from The Springs to Denver to catch my flight, I had the snow-capped Pike's Peak in my rearview mirror and Castle Rock ahead. I cranked the worship music and enjoyed the beauty fix.In other news my dad had a stroke two weeks ago, but he is improving much faster than expected. The doctors initially said he would never go home. But he may get to do so as early as this Thursday. Doctors are good, but they cannot speak the Colorado Rockies into being or synchronize a wedding with a business trip without trying. Just sayin'.