GIVEAWAY!!

Timothy is generously providing us with three copies of his latest book… Longing For More: Daily Reflections on Finding God in the Rhythms of Life. I am in the middle of this book. You know that feeling…when you combine a mug of strong coffee and an inspiring conversation? This books captures that feeling!

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post with one of your current favorite books.

Giveaway ends Thursday at midnight. Winner announced Friday morning.

Best of luck! Xo

Our Masters of Their Craft series is monthly features where we give a glimpse into the life, vision, and work of artists, entrepreneurs, craftsmen, musicians, business owners, innovators, and fellow dreamers who excel in their area of expertise. They use their gifting with passion and excellence. Their work is tried and true. By sharing these innovators with others who we know will value the labor of their hands as much as we do, we aim to make a humble attempt at giving them honor. This aspect of what we do at CHAR co is something we have come to love dearly. It is an extension of who we are. It gives us great joy to recognize others that do what they do so well.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the GIVEAWAY. Timothy is generously providing us with three copies of his latest book, Longing For More: Daily Reflections on Finding God in the Rhythms of Life. I am currently in the middle of it and thoroughly enjoying this thought provoking, deep but also light hearted read!

Team member Karen is the vision and hands behind these special posts…she will take it from here.

Timothy Willard : Writer

Carl Sandburg once said, “A baby is God’s opinion that life should go on.” I dare say, that the Willard Family is God’s opinion that life should go on. Something true and lovely and alive emanates from Tim and Chris and their three little pixies. When in their presence, one enters into a bit of a fairyland as they pull you into their tightly knit tribe of five. After all, this is a family that spends its days tromping the English countryside, sipping hot drinks at dimly lit pubs, and immersing themselves in archaic books.

Timothy Willard, the intuitive and spirited patriarch of this family, has led his beloved ones on a path not many frequent, which should not come as a surprise considering his less than conventional days pre-family. He received an expulsion from his first undergrad college, which would help ignite a softening and reformation in his heart, as well as free him to play in a band, exploring the country with his van for seven years. At one of his last shows, he met his future wife Chris who captivated his interest when he learned she was a master’s student in Theology and that he could talk to her until 3 a.m. about the origin of sin. Thus began the Willard clan.

In the years following, Tim would complete his bachelor’s degree fourteen years after his initial attempt, move to Atlanta to pursue a professional writing career, complete his master’s at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, and collaborate on more than a dozen books with authors varying from former NFL MVP’s to Grammy award winning artists. He would also find his home in a foreign land after selling his house and possessions in Atlanta in order to relocate his family to England.

Today, the Willard family resides in Oxford as Tim completes his doctorate in Theology at King’s College in London. He recently released his book Longing for More and is the co-author of Veneer: Living Deeply in a Surface Society and Home Behind the Sun. His days are spent penning, processing, challenging, husbanding, fathering, and setting his mind on things above.

You’re a poet, writer, speaker, husband, father, doctoral student, and musician. Can you give us a synopsis of your life thus far?
If I were to write a thesis for my life to this point, it would have to be this: Florida boy finds wonder in his youth, has it taken from him because of a church split at the age of 11. Bitterness drives him from God, but he relinquishes it around a bonfire at the age of 20. He tours the country in a band, discovers a love for literature and theology and for his soul mate, Chris. They marry, pursue the writing life, which leads to a PhD track in England under the theologian Alister McGrath. They don’t know the subsequent path, but they, along with their three pixies Lyric, Brielle, and Zion, welcome whatever comes next.

How did your interest in writing begin?
Well, I typically say my writing began in seventh grade; that’s when I began writing poetry. But, if I think hard on it, I think it began much earlier. I can remember, as a boy, sitting under the “acorn tree” on First Avenue in our neighborhood and wondering about the branches and how they looked up against the sky. I can hear the acorns hitting the ground, thud. I remember the Spanish Moss made me feel when we’d walk down the old dusty church lane—those gigantic oak trees with their long beards and scraggly hair. I think that’s when I became a writer.

If you had to name your top five writing projects, what have they been?
Over the last ten years I’ve worked on so many projects from websites, to magazines, to editing over a dozen books for publishers and authors. But, if I’m honest and a bit selfish, my favorite books would have to be the five books I’ve written and am currently writing.

In 2011 I co-authored my first trade book with my best friend Jason Locy. Jason is a designer and art director and a verbal processor. I’m a penniless poet, aspiring theologian and not a verbal processor. So the collaboration process was invigorating and highly rewarding, and the book, Veneer: Living Deeply in a Surface Society is something we’re both very proud of. We followed that up this past year with Home Behind the Sun: Connect with God in the Brilliance of the Everyday. This book contains a handful of reflective personal essays from both Jason and I.

In October I released my first devotional book titled Longing For More: Daily Reflections on Finding God in the Rhythms of Life. This book took over two years to write and was a complete joy and learning experience for me. Last year I wrote a children’s book titled Shine So Bright. It’s the story of a little star named Lo-Lo Star who doesn’t think she has much to offer. The High Stars make fun of her and send her into the Far Heaven. But it’s in Far Heaven that she’s given an incredible task by the Star Angel. You’ll have to wait till next Christmas to see how it ends. It’s illustrated by my good friend Jordan Clarke.

Finally, I’m working on a young adult fantasy book currently titled, The Fire Blossom: Rise of Avian the Brave. I’m about halfway on this novel but hope to have it done this summer so I can shop it to publishers. It’s filled with magic, fiery beings from beyond the clouds, a witch-mermaid, and a spunky faerie named Shaylee. The two fiction books are probably my favorite projects thus far.

What inspired you to write Longing For More and why would you recommend for us to read it?
Longing For More began as a series of emails I wrote to the fellow in the Praxis non-profit accelerator program. I serve as the Spiritual Director for Praxis and as part of my ministry to the fellows I wrote weekly devotional emails intended to inspire, encourage, and challenge them. After two years of emails and additional writing on my own, I gobbled all the pieces together into a book.

I’d recommend it because it’s designed to be a devotional you can pick up at any time of the year and jump into. It’s also organized around weekly themes, so you’ll spend an entire week reflecting on the topic of love, joy, beauty, disappointment and so on. The overall tone is one of encouragement and challenge to go deeper in your spiritual life, which I think folks, like myself, are thirsty for. Thus, the title.

What are some of the discouragements you have faced in your journey towards becoming a published author?
My British Literature professor in college once told me that if I wanted to be a writer some day then I should emulate writers like C.S. Lewis who is renowned for his clarity. She said, “Tim, you’re just too poetic and obscure and meandering.” That’s a lot to hear as a twentysomething  aspiring writer. She wasn’t very encouraging in her tone either. I have never forgotten those words. And where I think her advice was actually rather sound, the way she did it was poor. I also had an editor from a magazine I was working for take a devotional I’d written, and was very proud of, and literally throw it across the table at me saying, “This is crap.” That was discouraging. But I’ve learned that if you desire to do something well, then you better be ready for the purging fire of maturation. For the last decade I daily face folks taking the things I’ve written and critiquing them. From clients to authors to publishers, they all have opinion, and if you don’t grow thick skin, you can easily find discouragement to be your only friend. I’m also not a very patient person. I wanted to be published right away; I felt I deserved it for some reason. What a terrible way to view publishing. I am writer by vocation. It doesn’t matter if I’m never paid to write another word, I will always write. My view now is that I write what’s in my heart and I work hard to make it clear and lively and beautiful. I am patient as a writer now, and I view publishing as the blessing that comes form hard work and a patient heart.

How did you begin to get some of your work published?
I wrote for free. I wrote a lot, for free. I wrote every chance I had, for free. I valued quality over quantity. I learned the craft and practiced the craft every chance I had. I wrote every day, and still do. Those are the prerequisites for publishing, in my opinion. As far as the literal steps I took, after I determined that I had an idea worth writing about in book form, I worked for months on a proposal that was engaging and thorough. I became a student and master at writing proposals—and even began writing them for publishers and authors. Then, I found an agent I respected, one whose work spoke for itself, and I pitched him on the book idea. He loved the book idea and signed me as an author he’d represent. From there, it was his job to pitch my proposal to publishers. I cannot stress the importance of a good agent.

How did you end up in Oxford, England, your current place of residence?
I was researching the concept of “beauty” for my book Home Behind the Sun and came across Alister McGrath’s faculty page. He was accepting proposals for doctoral dissertations on several theological writers, one being C.S. Lewis. On the spot I wrote a lengthy email to Alister detailing my current work as a writer and my thoughts on possible pursuing research on the concept of beauty as apologetic in the works of C.S. Lewis. To make a long story short, he accepted my proposal, I was accepted into King’s College, and we then had to, as a family, make the big decision to move to England for the program.  I knew Alister lived near Oxford and because I was studying Lewis we chose to seek housing in the Oxford area for my studies.

In what ways do you enjoy life in England more than in America and in what ways do you enjoy life in America more than in England?
I simply love our pace of life here in England. We chose not to buy an automobile here because the bus system is so great. We have a bus stop literally in front of our house, not to mention that because we live in a village we have access to miles of rural footpaths. I could walk to Wales if I wanted to, though that would take days and I need to be about writing. People are careful when they speak here. I love that. Even their verb choices are better than Americans. As an American I can sadly admit that we do sound a bit rough around the edges when we speak. Our vernacular is filled with slang and filler words such as “like,” “um,” “you know.” So, being here has made me aware of how sloppy and thoughtless my speech can be. I would say, however, that the customer service in America is second to none. It really is amazing, and the rest of the world could learn a thing or two about it. Also, the entrepreneurial spirit, though it is growing here in England for sure, is one of the hallmarks of America and I’m thankful for that. The “can do” cowboy attitude is really stark when you’re away for a long time and return. It saturates the culture. Though that can be bad at times, I see it as something very unique and alluring to America.

What’s an average day in England look like for you?
Wake between 5:30-7am. Make tea on the kettle. Distribute Cheerios to my pixies when they wake, read for a bit, write (with an actual pen and paper) notes in my Moleskine, work on my thesis. A couple days during the week I’ll head into Oxford proper—on my bike or on the bus, depending on my mood—and work in the Bodleian Library or Blackwells book store. Once there, I’ll take a walk in Christ Church meadow to think, or sit by the fire in a pub and continue to write and read. We have family dinner around 6pm, and then it’s the insane hours of getting all three girls into bed. Once that’s done, I’ll usually sit with my wife and chat or watch something, and then I’ll head upstaris to the study for more research time or I’ll work on a blog piece or something related to my thesis.

You’ve become well acquainted with C.S. Lewis. If you had to suggest three of his books to read, which ones would you select and why?
a.     The Weight of Glory – it contains what is, in my opinion, Lewis’s best address. Its soaring rhetoric inspires, and gives profound insight into the subject of beauty, longing, and Christian love.
b.     Perelandra – it is probably Lewis’s most beautifully written and theologically deep books. The storytelling is poetic and highly imaginative. The final scene of the book is a scene I have reread more times than I can count. It’s simply breathtaking.
c.      Till We Have Faces – probably Lewis’s most classic novel; it’s subtlety, beauty and insight into the human condition rivals a Shakespearean play.

But you must understand, limiting this list to three simply isn’t fair.

A wife who supports you enables much of what you do today. What initially attracted you to your wife and what continues to attract you?
At the time we met I was a dirt-poor musician chasing the music dream. She was chasing God through theological reflection. I loved that. She was wearing a hippie-looking long skirt (to her ankles), with big’ole boots beneath, some kind of wintery jean jacket and an army messenger bag. Who wouldn’t be attracted to that. She was a vision, and still is. When you can talk about the origin of sin with someone, you know it’s for real. She continues to inspire me as I watch her jump into the role of mother. I have three daughters and can’t imagine parenting them without her. They idolize her and want to be like her, and for good reason.

For the married folks, could you share three essentials to a thriving marriage?
Time – if you don’t take time to nurture your relationship, time will work against it. Time is essential for nurturing love, and for uncovering the hidden things that incite affection. Long Walks – Chris and I try to do date night each Friday. We take the bus into Oxford and usually share fish and chips at one of the many awesome pubs. Then, we walk around Oxford and talk about our girls, our dreams, what’s next, how we’re struggling. With a walk you are accomplishing several things: you’re employing the services of Father Time, your nurturing your love, and your experiencing the outdoors together, which is one of the greatest salves on the planet. Risk – this may seem antithetical to a thriving marriage, but it’s not. Risk is essential for a thriving marriage. Making risky decisions together stretches faith, it keeps that childlike spirit in both husband and wife, it challenges both to rise to the occasion and it strengthens trust in God. Our marriage is marked by risky decisions; decisions that might look crazy to people on the outside looking in. Before we left for Oxford we lost three contracts on our house. It was risky to buy a one way ticket to England an not have your house sold. But we had to endure, and persevere through the trials. The risk made us go all in. There’s nothing that brings a couple together better and more profoundly than doing something a bit crazy. From buying an old Land Rover that needed a new engine to moving to Oxford, we like risk and it seems to do great things to our relationship.

Could you put into words the type of women you hope your daughters become?
When I would rock my pixies to sleep in those early years, this is what I prayed: “Lord Jesus, I pray that you’d make Lyric, Brielle, and Zion women who hunger and thirst for you. That they become beautiful women of holy radiance, that people are drawn to You in them. That they drink in life fully, and feel every aspect of life deeply. That they love others and serve until it hurts. That dreams and imagination direct their lives and that beauty fills their eyes.”

In your field, you need to be semi social media savvy. Will you share some of your thoughts on social media and how to avoid some of its pitfalls?
That’s easy: stay off your computer, and don’t download the apps on your phone. But seriously, social media makes me tired just thinking about it. As a writer, you’re expected to develop a platform, what we call an audience. And the best way to do this is through social media. My rules of engagement are: be yourself, be honest, be fun; don’t spend more time tweeting and Facebooking and Instagraming than you do taking walks or laughing or reading real books made of real paper—and preferably written by an old dead guy or gal.

How can someone become a better writer?
A writer writes. A writer writes everyday. The only way to run faster is to run every day. To run up hills and down hills; to lift weights and then run some more. The same applies to writing. Forget reading books about writing. Spend your time just reading good books, classic books, books that make you cry. And remember Frost’s words: No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. He knew a thing or two about writing.

How do you relax?
I write. Ha! I also ride my mountain bike, hard. I take long walks or hikes. I drink tea and read. I take great power naps. This time of year it’s not uncommon for me to rip off a nice three-hour nap beside the Christmas tree. I spend time with friends. I walk to a field on Cumnor hill and stare into the west while the sunsets. And, one of my favorites; I take my favorite beverage, make a fire, and sit beneath the stars in the winter.

Describe what you would like the next decade of your life to entail.
I think I’m hoping for the blessing of watching my girls grow into young women. I can’t think of a finer poetry to read than the lives of our children. As far as vocation, I plan to keep writing and to hopefully establish a place, in L’Bri fashion, where folks can come and find rest, renewal and beauty in the form of spiritual mentoring and discipleship. I also hope to finish all the books I have planned for the The Fire Blossom saga.