Monthly Archives: January 2014

A true story, told well

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Jim Killam

Sometimes I stumble onto great things late. Four years after its release, I’ve been reading Laura Hillenbrand’s best-seller, “Unbroken,” about the life of Louis Zamperini. A rising track star and 1936 Olympian, Zamperini’s life was derailed by World War II. … Continue reading →

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Strength and cluelessness

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Jim Killam

I ran across a good essay in Leadership Journal. Writer Mike Erre talks about his debilitating anxiety and depression, and the all-too-common Christian response that the person just needs to pray and read their Bible more. Toward the end of the piece, … Continue reading →

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Write it the way you’d tell it

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Jim Killam

Here’s a fascinating TED Talk about the impact texting is having on our language. You’ll be surprised. http://www.ted.com/talks/john_mcwhorter_txtng_is_killing_language_jk.html Writers can learn from this. The best journalistic stories aren’t written in texting shorthand, but they’re not written in formal, English class … Continue reading →

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The trap

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Jim Killam

Sometimes, being a missionary can be like being the hero in an adventure movie. People wish they could be you. You get compliments and admiration for the path you’ve chosen and the work you do. You’re considered a spiritual hero. … Continue reading →

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‘I am a missionary’

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Jim Killam

Not a lot we add to this — other than God also needs people to tell these stories.

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Duck dinosaurs

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Jim Killam

I (Jim) read two things this morning that encouraged me both as a journalist and as a Christian. One was a discussion by author and pastor Timothy Keller of how the world began, and how incompletely the science vs. religion … Continue reading →

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The first rough draft of history

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Jim Killam

The inescapable hurry of the press inevitably means a certain degree of superficiality. It is neither within our power nor our province to be ultimately profound. We write 365 days a year the first rough draft of history, and that … Continue reading →

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Journalism’s revolution

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Jim Killam

A friend, the editor of a small daily newspaper here in Illinois, asked me (Jim) a tough question this week: What I would I tell a high-school senior who wonders if there’s a career anymore in being a reporter? Actually, … Continue reading →

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A golden opportunity

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Jim Killam

Journalists tend to be idealists. While we don’t always admit it, we like the idea that what we do could help change the world. That’s best accomplished when our words, photos and videos function as a mirror for our communities. … Continue reading →

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Introverts of the world, disperse!

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Jim Killam

Here’s a super-interesting blog post from a few months back by author Don Miller. For me (Jim) it reminds me of the extra effort required for introverts like me to be effective reporters. Certainly we can do it; in fact, sometimes we’re … Continue reading →

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