That’s been the same basic process for every book I’ve written—trying to bring into existence something approximating the book I’ve been looking for. I’ve got loads of ideas for books that I wish existed.
I write in religion studies and adjacent fields. I hope that in what I have written this year I have shared my faith, and inspired others to think carefully, delight in worldly phenomena and celebrate human dignity.
God has equipped me to serve his church at this cultural moment. I’ve said to my secular sexual health colleagues: they know how sex operates; I know that too, and the God who designed it that way.
I sometimes say to my wife that writing is my ‘shed’—the place I go to to tinker with objects, to make things. In ministry, nothing is ever complete ... For some pastors, going into a shed to turn a piece of wood into a bookshelf or coffee table is a way of seeing something actually get completed. For me, writing is like that.
Be prayerful, check your motives, keep a clear conscience, limit your time on social media. Write for God, and for people who read in good faith, not for clicks. Listen to comments and feedback from people who know you, but take criticism from strangers with a bucket of salt. Walk often.
