Exclusive VENEER Interview with Tim Willard and Jason Locy

I had the opportunity to sit down (digitally) with Tim Willard and Jason Locy and ask them 5 questions about their new book Veneer. But first, the book trailer (their hearts come through loud and clear AND without any Veneer).

Kary: What made you write Veneer?

Tim & Jason: In our earliest conversations around the topic we noticed how inflated the culture had become: Enron, Madoff, housing industry, suburbia McMansions, four-dollar coffees, really smart phones, branding. In the church world, the relevance movement was in full swing as churches tried to look more and more like culture. We couldn’t escape the reality that society seemed to be influencing the church instead of the church influencing society.

Our questions centered on what culture looked like and how it was affecting us as humans, as Christians, and the church in general. We eventually came to the realization that these societal issues were by-products of our human condition. And we wanted a different way, for the world, Christians, and the church to act.

So the idea for Veneer was born.

Kary: Guys, what is the Big Idea behind Veneer?

Tim & Jason: Veneer is a thin, surface level, coating that manufacturers apply over an inferior product in order to increase the perceived value of the product. People have a veneer too. We all struggle with things that we think are “inferior.” Our inferiority comes from the scars and scrapes and dings of life. Things like self-doubt or failed relationships or lost jobs or problems with kids—things that often embarrass us. So we veneer our scars with a shiner version of ourselves.

Kary: In the book, you talk about the language of culture. What is that?

Tim & Jason: The language of culture is a way to say, “What does culture celebrate and find acceptable?” As people, we look to the broader culture and try to adapt to what we see everyone else doing. The language of culture gives us various ways by which we can veneer as we try to mimic the world of celebrity, buy in to the promise of consumption, and place our trust in the hope of progress. Eventually, most of us live our lives covered in this language because we’re afraid or embarrassed about what lies beneath.

Kary: How can we, as individuals and the church resolve the problem of veneer?

Tim & Jason: We use the metaphor of antique wood to contrast veneer. Unlike veneer, antique wood is beautiful because of the scars acquired over time. In our efforts to fit in with society veneering ourselves with fake perfection seems right. But if we view ourselves as antique wood, beautified by the scars of life, then our perspective shifts. Through the lens of redemption, then, we can see that the things that caused pain or embarrassment in our lives fade away.

In order to view ourselves in this way, however, we must exchange the language of culture for the language of God. We find the language of God in relationships, in love, and in an abiding life. Together, these ways create for us a life that allows the stripping of our veneer while a full life, focused on others, takes shape. The second part of the book unfolds the language of God and challenges readers (and us) to seek spiritual renewals and to exchange the language of culture with the language of God.

How did writing this book change each of you?

Tim & Jason: For me (Tim) the process of writing the book revealed the subtleties of veneer. It’s when I think that I have no veneer that I need to reassess and dig a little deeper–sure enough, there it is. It also challenged me to evaluate my relationship with God. Was I just going through the motions? Was the relationship “me” centered or Christ centered? I was also challenged to seek times of honesty and renewals with my wife. How were we doing? Were there unresolved hurts? The unveneered life can be challenging, but also beautifully freeing.

For me (Jason) the process has challenged me to seek honesty, or openness, in my relationships. So much of what keeps us from one another goes unsaid and eventually it’s the unsaid that erodes us personally and relationally. I really value when the ones I love, who are closest to me, are honest with me. It gives me a sense of peace knowing they care and allows me to be open and transparent with them.