Skip to main content

Setbacks, Disappointments, and New Opportunities

Yesterday I received a phone call I had been waiting anxiously for. It was about a job I had put in for - and I didn’t get it. The person delivering the news was kind, and even encouraged me to apply for another position that, in her opinion, was a better fit for me. It is a different kind of job, would require a decent commute, and I’m not sure I have it in me to enter another process right now. 

This morning I got myself showered and dressed and put on my clericals. Even though I was home all day I wanted to shoot a video and hence the outfit. Somehow just dressing up had me feeling less dejected - like I still could do something I was proud of. I remember years ago when my dad was looking for work. Each day he put on a shirt and tie before filling out job applications. 

After the video I scheduled some more content, opened up my notebook, and started working on my plan. The ideas began to flow, time seemed to flow by, and before I knew it I had a pretty great outline for a half day workshop in Christian Storytelling. Now to find someone who will let me try it out. I imagine I can find a few friends who would be happy to have a free workshop in their parish. 

The feedback I got yesterday when I didn’t get the job was that I was better suited to a single parish. I disagree. I feel called to make an impact on a lot of parishes. I thought this particular job would be the vehicle to so so, but it is not the only one. Right now I’m thinking if the established vehicles aren’t going to get me where I need to go, then I’m going to make my own. As the Holy Spirit nudged me I felt my confidence building. Today I was reminded that a job is just a vehicle. Jobs have certain advantages, like immediate income, but disadvantages too, like someone else is pulling the strings. As for me, I’m going to keep on, because it’s the destination that matters more than the vehicle.  

If you'd like to join me on this journey, be sure to like and follow my Facebook Page.  If I can get 25 followers, I can get a custom URL.  Woohoo!  Also, if you'd like to have me in for a free half day storytelling workshop, send me a DM on Facebook.

Comments

RJ Johnson said…
If you wanted to put on a seminar on Christian Story Telling here, I would be glad to have you. Unfortunately it is a bit of a haul to get here.

Popular posts from this blog

A New Chapter: Putting Old Tools To New Use

 I've begun a new chapter in my life.  A few months ago my family moved to Cherry Hill, NJ after living in Norfolk, VA for over sixteen years.  My wife got a great call in Philadelphia, and I'm currently looking for my next call.  In the mean time I'm keeping busy. I decided to take my skills in Congregational Development and bring them to the online world.  I launched a Facebook page called Ministry Development , and I'm following Russell Brunson's model in Expert Secrets to reach as wide an audience as possible. My goal for this phase is to dedicate 2024 to learning, developing, and teaching the art of storytelling as a vehicle for sharing faith.  This is remarkably different from the idea that many people have in their heads.  In some quick Facebook polls, I found that many people fear sharing their faith for one of two reasons.  The first is that they have had bad experiences with evangelists in the past - the kind where someone would get in your face and tell y

My Journey: How I got here

In the summer of 2023 my wife received a phone call, offering her a job as rector of Christ Church Philadelphia.  I was excited as the prospect of moving closer to family, it was a great opportunity for her, so we made the decision to accept.  After the goodbye tears at our old congregations we watched all of our belongings being packed into a moving van and made the trek up to the Northeast.  When we arrived and settled in to our new home I began looking for a call myself so we both could exercise our priestly ministries.  Then the responses started coming in.  “No, no, no thank you, no, heck no, this isn’t a good fit, no, no, no, and no.”  In between fits of rage and general despair I started to pray, “Okay God, here I am.  I want to serve and add value.  What would you have me do?” As one does when pondering, I distracted myself with Facebook.   An ad came up offering a free masterclass on how to earn a living online as a musician.   It looked intriguing, and I love playing music so