Five years ago, at the age of 59, I was considering a job move from a place where my roots run deep.
Was I crazy? Could I even consider it? I mean, my plan was to retire from the place that give me a job when I was 17. My life was in that place and everything was on schedule. I had risen through the ranks, writing countless stories, and working long hours before finally taking that corner office where I was calling the shots as the editor of a daily newspaper.
The newspaper industry wasn’t and still isn’t healthy, but the thought of leaving The Daily Independent in Ashland after 42 years was, well, unthinkable. Nobody would understand.
It was the only job I ever had or ever wanted. It was a great job, taking me places and bringing me in front of people that would never have happened in the 9-to-5 world. It didn’t bring me financial riches (although it food on the table and gave us a comfortable lifestyle) but I more than cashed in on experiences.
Leaving this job didn’t seem like a logical move for someone knocking on the door of 60. Who makes a job move at 59?
This guy did. I couldn’t turn it down and, looking back now on my fifth anniversary as the managing editor of Kentucky Today with the Kentucky Baptist Convention, I’m glad I didn’t.
Roger Alford, who worked with me for a few years at the Ashland paper some 35 years ago and was the KBC communications director at the time, sold me on joining him to continue building Kentucky Today, the digital newspaper for the KBC. He wanted a veteran journalist – and one who was Baptist - to manage the website. My wife and I prayed about it and saw no stop signs from God. We took the plunge blindfolded off the high dive hoping the splash wouldn’t overwhelm us. It didn’t.
The opportunity to be part of something new was exciting. It was refreshing because of what was happening within the newspaper industry, where there was more subtraction than addition. Things were changing quickly and not for the better. It was just the opposite with Kentucky Today.
People who knew me best understood the opportunity of writing about faith and sharing my faith was something I couldn’t pass up. God has been forever good to me and I’m thankful for the watch-care that clearly included giving me this job.
It’s allowed me to tell the stories of the best people ever – Kentucky Baptists and the churches where they serve. We’ve been there through the pandemic, tornadoes, elections, and even controversy within our own Southern Baptist Convention.
The inspirational folks in Disaster Relief have been some of my favorite interviews because they are so genuine and inspirational. I’ve also written heartbreaking stories of churches that have died and legendary pastors who have died, and how communities have leaned on God when tragedy has struck, including the most recent one in eastern Kentucky.
I’m thankful for the talented people who work with me. They are dedicated not only to their crafts but to Jesus. That means more than words can suggest. They inspire me, too. Every day.
My hope is readers have found inspiration from what we’ve been able to produce these last five years with Kentucky Today. I’m more than thankful to have been a part of it.