I just read of Dr. Chad Brand’s passing and wanted to share a post. I hope you will remember the family during this time of loss and this post will encourage you in your journey.
I began serving as a professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2001 where I met Dr. Brand as a colleague. I was twenty-seven years old and one of the youngest professors in the institution’s history. But he was willing to give time and attention to this new kid on the block.
Dr. Brand was loved by students. He taught a variety of classes. He was a frequent speaker and preacher. I recall Al Mohler introducing him as a “provocateur.” I think I had to look up that word, provocateur. I do not want to upset people; I use it sparingly.
Dr. Brand was always very kind and friendly to me. In addition to these matters, I was extremely impressed he was a prolific writer. The Lord’s grace was evident in this area of his ministry. His bibliography was extensive and diverse. For example, though he was a Baptist, he published for a Pentecostal journal. At the time, that was far-out! For a young professor, who had a desire to research, write, and publish–while staying engaged with the local church–I needed to have a conversation with this man.
I decided to take him to lunch and learn his secret sauce for writing and publishing.
I still remember the restaurant and where we sat that day in Louisville.
During the meal, I asked: “How do you do it?”
While I was prepared for an extensive treatment on writer’s methodology and strategy, he simply stated he was going to give me the same advice his doctoral supervisor provided him.
I was ready to take copious notes, recognizing I would probably have to ask him to slow down due to hand cramps. Paper and pen poised. . . I waited.
“When it comes to writing a book,” he said, “sit down in that chair and resist the first twenty temptations to get up and just start writing.”
That was it?
That was it.
Oh! How that simple piece of advice has helped me over the years. I have often been asked the same question, “how do you write so much, so quickly?” While I do provide additional counsel than just exhorting long-suffering and tenacity, I always remember–and often re-tell–that lunch conversation with Dr. Brand.
Resist distractions. Focus on the work.
Thank you, Chad.
Dr. Brand and I were never close friends. I lost touch with with him after I moved to Birmingham in 2012.
Yes, he was a provocateur. But, whether or not we agree with his views, his family and loved ones are in mourning. Please keep them in prayer.