Simple plan
The pursuit of significance
When I came to Today’s Pentecostal Evangel a little more
than a decade ago, I was in pursuit of success. My plan was to spend a couple
of years here, then move up to a bigger magazine and repeat the process. I’d do
so until I landed at a heavyweight magazine in New York or Washington, D.C.
But then an earthquake struck El Salvador in 2001, and I
found myself in Canton el Tinteral, a remote village 35 miles outside San
Salvador. On a sun-scorched ridge I interviewed an impoverished family whose
house had crumbled to the ground and destroyed all their earthly possessions.
It was at that moment I realized I could use writing to
bring awareness to the family’s situation and even help raise funds that could
be used to shelter, clothe and feed them. Suddenly, my pursuit of success
wasn’t important to me, but the journey toward significance was.
In the years since that epiphany, my worldview expanded even
more as I traveled to dozens of countries, met with heads of state and
interviewed everyone from former cannibals to Christian celebrities.
For 10 great years, I’ve had the privilege of working on
more than 500 editions of Today’s Pentecostal Evangel. Those magazines have
helped raise more than $1.5 million for Key Bearers — which provides TPE free to prisoners — and I saw more than 18,000 salvation coupons
come into our offices from readers who said they committed their lives to
Christ.
To have a role in all of that feels significant.
So it is with a measure of regret I announce that this will
be the last Simple Plan in this magazine. I am leaving my position as managing
editor to accept a position with Convoy of Hope, which partners with the
Assemblies of God to help impoverished people throughout the world.
I am confident the transition will continue to lead me
toward a life of significance.
Kirk Noonan
E-mail your comments to tpe@ag.org.
