“I love it when a plan comes together.”—Hannibal Smith, The A-Team, 1983–1987, (NBC)
As the Gen-Xer on our team, it’s only appropriate I quote from 80′s pop culture. But seriously, I love this quote, and it fits well with my job. When everyone is working together as co-laborers under Christ, great things can happen!
Editing is thrilling. Yes, I said, editing is thrilling. Line-by-line editing is rewarding, but not thrilling. Working with others to create and improve content——now that’s exhilarating! I got my first taste of editing during my senior year at Hammond High School. I was the design editor on the two-page feature spread and we covered all sorts of things, including religion on campus. What I enjoyed most was the collaboration, working together to achieve a goal. I got to work with younger writers, other editors, and the cartoonist to envision a package that fellow students would want to read. As we talked and dreamed, we always came up with something better because we listened to each other’s idea. (At least that’s what I remember—reality may have been messier.) It was this adrenaline rush of collective creativity that led me to choose a career in journalism.
Now nearly 20 years later, I can look back and say that’s still what I love about editing. We collaborate at New Hope Publishers as editors and as editors and marketers. We work closely with our designers. We team up with freelancers. We all partner together with our authors to make their books the best they can be for our audience. And we work as brothers and sisters under God’s leadership. He knits our minds and our hearts together in unexpected and beautiful ways. I believe our co-labor pleases Him and glorifies Him in a way that a one-man or one-woman show would not. We need each other, and that’s why I’m glad I’m on God’s team.
