Meet Brian Jennings | Preacher, Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Jennings and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I witnessed many people I deeply respected in the generation ahead of me do amazing things in the world but lose their families. I committed to not sacrificing my family for the sake of good work, even church work. At the same time, I wanted to give my best to my career (church ministry, writing, and justice work). I’ve not done this perfectly, but I’ve learned some things: 1. Feeling tension isn’t bad. If I felt a little pull to be home more and a little pull to give more to work, maybe those competing tensions would balance me out. But if I felt no pull to be mindful of either, I might be missing something.
2. It’s ok to give extra to work or family for a season, as long as the balance will soon be restored. I knew I wasn’t as available for my family when I was finishing my latest book, but I promised to finish soon (publisher deadlines helped) and return to being balanced.
3. I’m forever blessed to work for a church that never made me choose between work and family. They encouraged me to serve my family well. When Covid hit, all four kids needed more of me. My church allowed me to give it.
As Seasons change. It’s beautiful when our own schedules can change with them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always loved writing, but I’d never entertained the idea of writing more than sermons, articles, and blog posts. However, in the span of two weeks, I went from never considering a book project to being convinced that this was something I had to do. I was deeply convicted to help our world know how to pursue both truth and peace, not neglecting either. God entrusted me with this writing project, and I had to be a good steward.

With four kids in our house and a busy life, the best I could do was devote Thursday mornings to writing. For almost five years, I spent every Thursday morning learning to be an author, researching, writing, and working on the project. In hindsight this is a terrible way to write a book. Every Thursday felt like I was getting on a bicycle on a steep incline. It was tough to start pedaling. I was glad for Stephen King’s advice (in “On Writing”) to never end a writing session until you’ve started the next paragraph. This little tip helped me have some momentum when I’d restart a week later.

Some of those writing sessions were easy. I’d tuck myself into the corner of a coffee shop as the sun peaked up. When I decided I needed a refill, I’d look up to discover that three hours had passed and the shop was filled with entirely different people. Those were the best days.

Some of the writing sessions were terrible. I could spend hours on a few paragraphs that still felt off. I’d wonder if the whole book was a mess.

But usually the sessions were neither amazing or terrible. They were just work.

I received affirmation when I took a week to do nothing but write. I knew if it was meant to be, a week of focussed writing would give me clarity. When the week was over, I’d written for fifty hours and only wanted to write more.

Green light.

I hired a writing coach to edit the first half of my book. He shaped my writing and me. It was the best couple hundred bucks I ever spent. He pointed out that sometimes I needed to exchange my calm, leadership demeanor for my fiery justice work demeanor. I needed to write from my heart, not just my head.

Honestly, if I’d known I was staring a project that would take half of a decade, I would have bailed. This turned out to be spot on. When he or the NavPress editors recommended changes, I usually saw their wisdom. However, there were times when they just did not quite understand me or what I was trying to do, so I’d hold firm.

If you have a deep conviction to do something, do it. Get advice, learn, and start. Most of us lack the time and money that we believe our project requires, but all we can do is our best. If six hours on Thursday mornings is all you have, give your best to those six hours. Don’t worry about how long it might take. Honestly, if I’d known I was staring a project that would take half of a decade, I would have bailed. It was God’s grace to not let me know that little fact, and it was his grace to give me the time I did have to write.

So be faithful with what you have. It’s all that is required.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
6:00 AM – Hike Turkey Mountain. Yes, it’s only a really big hill, but it’s the best wilderness experience in Tulsa. If we time it right, we can watch the sunrise over the Arkansas River.

8:00 AM – Doubleshot Coffee is the coolest coffee shot in Tulsa. It’s a restored barn with an added floor-to-ceiling window. We’d eat their French Toast and sit on the second story.

10:00 AM – Greenwood Rising tells the story of the rise of “Black Wall Street,” the 1921 Race Massacre, and the resilience of the the Greenwood citizens. It’s compelling, emotional, and important for the world to know this story.

Noon – Gogi Gui Korean Grill isn’t easy to find. It’s tucked behind a run-down shopping center just a half mile from our church. Once you find it, you’ll be back. There’s a reason why it’s always full.

1:00 PM – Take a nap and then play pickleball. Yes, I’ve become “that guy.”

5:00 PM – The Gathering Place is the largest privately funded park in the country. It fills sixty-six acres with wildflowers, a river, world class playground equipment, sport courts, places to read and visit, and a few eating options. We’d eat dinner at the boathouse so we could see the sunset.

8:00 PM – Unless there’s an amazing concert downtown, we’re watching some of the amazing high school basketball that takes place. Hopefully we can catch a game in the electric atmosphere of Booker T Washington’s gym.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
NavPress Publishing took a shot on me. I lacked a megachurch, previous best seller, or massive social media following, but they believed in the content of what I wrote. How pure and good: publishing a book based on the content.

I’d heard plenty of horror stories from authors, but NavPress demonstrated kindness, integrity, and expertise.
Thanks, NavPress!

Website: http://www.brianjenningsblog.com/

Instagram: brianj33

Twitter: BrianJennings33

Facebook: brianj33

Youtube: @hptulsa

Other: Book – dancinginnomansland.com Sermons – hptulsa.com/media

Image Credits
Keri Wagner