Ahhhhh....

Done. I graduated today. Feels good. I didn't want to walk at first, but I'm glad I did. It makes the accomplishment more meaningful. I also got to see Ms. Wills and Mr. McCullough -- my two greatest professors....I'm going to miss them.

I can't wait for Mom to finish up her degree and walk!

HR class merging with Spiritual Formation! :O)

Another reflective post for my HR class...more to do with business, but it helped to articulate something of my views on ministry.


"My parents pastor a small, non-denominational church. Given, a church is not technically a "business," but there are many similarities. About ten years ago, we were at a convention in Nashville, TN--my brother and I attended the youth program there. I clearly recall the speaker (a pastor's kid talking to a group of pastor's kids) saying to us, with passion and certainty, that as pastor's kids we had an obligation to take up and carry on the ministry of our parents.

Ick! Now don't misunderstand me. It's a great calling...and as it turns out, I may have interests leaning slightly in that direction. But to lay it on a bunch of kids as their "obligation"? That stinks. Nothing would sink or sap a church of its life more quickly than having leadership in place only for the sake of familial obligation. And the same is true of any business. Unless, of course, it thrives on disinterest and begrudging participation--I say that tongue in cheek."

Thoughts on my "career"...

Wrote this for a discussion posting in my Human Resources Management class...it turned out to be more reflective, thought-provoking that I had expected.

My personal experience with career development has been somewhat limited. But maybe “limited” is not the right word. I’ve worked a number of jobs and learned a lot about the workplace, people problems, and work ethics. I’ve discovered little things that I generally enjoy doing, but have found myself unable to settle into a single this-is-my-calling sort of job. There’s a tendency to look down on myself or feel somewhat “behind”—especially when I see friends my age succeeding along paths they seem to truly enjoy. The General Career Periods chart is actually kind of encouraging to me. I’m still a “twenty-something,” who can fit into the Early Career period—identifying interests and exploring different jobs. I sincerely hope that this not knowing what I want to do is just a phase.

My working life thus far has been…scattered. I worked for a couple of years in a franchised restaurant, then for a while in a small, privately-owned eatery. I enjoy cooking, serving, and even cleaning, but the frantic pace of the restaurant business is not something I’d care to settle into. Two years as a manager at a movie theater opened my eyes to the wonderful world of supervising teenagers and dealing with a plethora of customer service, um…issues. Threading projectors, splicing film, fixing mechanical problems….that was a lot of fun. Now I’m working for a small non-profit organization that I feel is lacking vision. I do a lot of office work and graphic design…overall enjoyable, however tedious it may be at times. Through all of these work experiences has been my ongoing, intense involvement with my church. I lead worship services, help with the kids program, and head-up the youth group. This has given me a LOT of experience in dealing with people.

The common thread running through my jobs at the theater, the non-profit, and my church...what intrigues me…is the idea of articulating and executing a vision. Re-imagining the organization…thinking about what it would look like if it were at its best….and then thinking about ways to help the organization become that. But I am more and more convinced that I want to help PEOPLE in living deep, abundant lives....not corporations improving the bottom line. That’s generally what I hope my work life is based on in 10, 20, 30 years. I just haven’t decided the context in which I’d like to do that sort of vision finding/casting/execution. I've thought about teaching...counseling. By the time I started cnsidering these, though, I had too many hours in business areas to change degree plans. The program I'm hoping to start for my master's is in Spiritual Formation and Leadership. This will be an aid to me in my personal life...and will help me to lead others into a with-God kind of life. But I've wondered if I should go for a degree in teaching or counseling instead....or maybe I'm already on the right track. Maybe the MSFL will help me to gain clarity on this.

Whew!

Well, well, well. A while back, I sent an email out to various contacts through the RRCA (where I work)...fishing for business, you might say. I said I was available to do simple design work (business cards and the like) for individuals, small businesses, and non-profits at an affordable price. About two weeks ago, I got a call from someone with the Ruidoso Chamber Music Festival about designing their 2008 brochure! Kind of a big deal, really, since they send their stuff out all over the country. Anyway...I met with them last week and they talked to me about what they had in mind. I worked on a layout and color scheme all this week and met with them again this afternoon to show them what I came up with. They loved it! Truly a relief because, to be honest, I'm not very confident in my design skills...yet.
So...they were very pleased, I'll be finishing it up this week and getting it ready to go to the printer. I'm not making much at it--but they're giving me some ad space in their program, so that'll help get the word out. Besides, it kinda feels good to do something for less than its really (by industry standards) worth...for an organization who really does need it.

Other happenings....let's see. My graduation "duds" have been ordered - I'm almost there! The certification classes with HWG-IWA are going well...I've completed two and will be starting three more on March 17. That will meet all the requirements for the first certificate....then I'll move on to the other two. I'm really hoping that these classes, combined with summer training at Lynda.com will prepare me to work from home come August.

The SOS Shoe Drive is coming along. Sandy (at the newspaper) has been sooooo helpful and supportive. I don't think anyone who picks up a local newspaper will be able to get away from it without learning about the drive. Praying for grace from God and favor with the community.

With all of this going on....it can be difficult to stay fully present to Now. But..."I am convinced that [the every-day happenings of life, my accomplishments/failures, and the dis/approval of others] nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (From Romans 8....my paraphrase, obviously).

The Happenin'

I've just been working on my planner--looking at the major start/stop dates through the year. Wow. School's just around the corner! The next few weeks are going to be interesting. My HTML class starts this monday, my last ENMU class next Monday, and the Dreamweaver class on the Monday after that! The last day of class will be May 9 and GRADUATION on May 10!! I'm working on my admission requirements for SAU and if all goes as I hope, I'll be starting on the MSFL program in August.

Tomorrow is my last day working at the theater...which is a little weird. I'll just be working one job (at the Ruidoso Regional Council for the Arts) and will actually have Saturdays off for the first time in almost two years. I certainly have my reservations about leaving--mostly because I so enjoy working with my brother, but also because I keep thinking that I could have done better at it. But it's time to move on. I can't keep both jobs and give what both employers expect and keep up with my classes and do church and...you get the idea. I'm just praying that God would really bless this time of transition. It doesn't have to be easy or painless, just formational. It's kind of like getting out of a boat...to walk on water. I'm not sure what to expect as I leave the theater and start to develop my own business. But if He really is my Shepherd..."it's all (ultimately) good." Your prayers mean a lot.