The story behind how this interview came to be is a somewhat odd and serendipitous one, but the best things in life often are. In short, I had been in the middle of writing a book (coming out soon hopefully!) about various issues I believe the modern day Church needs to do some serious reflecting on — one among them being our unhealthy relationship with technology.
I was pondering these thoughts as my family walked into a store located within Homestead Heritage, a Christian, agrarian-based, intentional community located outside of Waco, Texas, not far from my home base in Dallas.
As I walked into the store, my eye caught a book displayed prominently on one of the shelves, Changing Our Minds, by S. Kay Toombs. (Amazon Link)
This looked like exactly the book for me and, as I quickly thumbed through it, I realized I had hit upon a gold mine of studies and research that confirmed my fears. I realized that the author of this book had a high likelihood of living within this community, and so also had a decent likelihood of being close by. If I wanted to ask questions or probe further, now was my chance. I approached the counter and rather boldly asked the lady at the register (who was incredibly kind) if she could connect me to the author of the book I was holding.
While I waited, I looked into Dr. Toombs a bit further online and found that, far from being an unknown voice from a remote community, Dr. Toombs was a highly esteemed scholar in her field of study, having taught and lead at Baylor University for several years. This was a woman I just had to meet!
A few moments later I had received a phone number and was dialing the esteemed Dr. S. Kay Toombs. A kind voice with an English accent greeted me on the other end and I quickly explained who I was and why I was interested in her book. Despite the obvious generational difference between the two of us, I was immediately struck with that wonderful feeling you get when you encounter a “kindred spirit” — a mind that you immediately respect and feel like you easily connect with.
As we ended our brief conversation I asked her if I could follow up with an in-person interview in the upcoming months and she graciously agreed. In the weeks that followed, Dr. Toombs continued to impress me with her intentionality and sharp mind. I sent her drafts of interview questions and she sent back detailed notes and suggestions for revisions. It was wonderful to encounter such a brilliant and thoughtful mind, albeit virtually.
When the day for the interview finally arrived I showed up to her house with my recording equipment and the two of us chatted amicably as I set up. Once the recorded started, I was pleasantly surprised once again by how much chemistry the two of us seemed to have and found her insights deeply convicting. What I am doing to apply what she talked about in my personal life will likely be the subject of a future post, however.
After the interview, I asked to use her restroom and, on my way back to the living room, noticed that the door to her office study was open. Nosily, I glanced inside and saw stacks of papers with notes and highlighting, all specifically regarding the subjects she had just talked to me about.
I was already impressed with her, but seeing the level of time, effort, and intentionality that she had obviously put into preparing for our interview made me feel all the more grateful that I had received the chance to meet and listen to her.
I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. If you have any follow up questions you’d like me to ask Dr. Toombs, please put them in the comment section of this post! Who knows, it may just lead to another interview. :)
Best regards,
Nathan Marlette
