As I begin my 30th year at Sojourners, it seems appropriate to take a modest look back at the enormous impact I have had on the magazine, not to mention the innovations I have introduced to enrich our office environment, such as Pajama Tuesdays.
I am reminded of my contributions almost daily, as staff members stand aside reverentially when I pass by. They are in quiet awe of my storied tenure here, and also know that I tend to flail my elbows when I walk, having long ago stopped asking myself whether this looks cool.
Yes, I am an award-winning art director and nationally known columnist. But more important, I am the anchor at editorial meetings and other staff gatherings, my deep and resonate snoring providing a soothing background to the important discussions at hand.
But as I sit at my desk, surrounded by the symbols of my success—the 1994 fourth place writing award comes quickly to mind—I remember how it was when I first started.
As soon as I joined the staff of Sojourners, I realized it needed a new direction. The magazine was born after the editor heard Nancy Sinatra sing the words, "You’ve been lyin’ when you should have been truthin’," words that captured for him the sad state of the world and its desperate need for gospel truth. (For some reason, Ms. Sinatra’s later reference to her boots being "made for walkin’" was never incorporated into the broader Sojourners mission.)
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