Back in August I shared the news here on the blog about a big transition that we were making in our lives as I was stepping out of “vocational ministry”.  It was this time last year that we began to actively pray and plan towards our transition, and now, being on the flip side of it a year later, I’ve been thinking some back through that period of time.

If you do a search on “leaving vocational ministry”, you won’t find a whole lot of helpful insights and articles online.  There are some, but I guess for one reason or another the topic is just not widely blogged about.  One of the gems I did find was written by Ron Edmondson.  You can read the full blog post on his blog, but I wanted to share his thoughts on when it is time to leave a ministry position, an organization, a job, etc.  Not all of these were applicable to my own situation, but several of them were really helpful to me.

• When your heart has left the organization and you don’t plan to stay permanently. Sometimes you have to reenergize your heart. If you are in a marriage, for example, you have to find a way to make it work. If you are working for an organization you shouldn’t harm the organization by staying when you no longer have a heart for the mission. If you’ve quit having fun, don’t make life miserable for everyone else.
• When you can’t support the leadership and the leadership is firmly planted. You need to know who the power brokers in your organization are. It’s nearly impossible to change the organization working against that ingrained power structure. Ask yourself, “If it’s always going to be like this around here, would I be content staying?”
• When your family or personal life is suffering, because of the demands of the organization. If you have to neglect one of them, your career or your family, in twenty years which do you hope it will have been?
• When your mind starts working against the mission and vision of the organization. If you would rather see the place fails than succeed; it’s clearly time to go.
• When your relationship with co-workers or leadership is damaged beyond repair. You should try to work out these differences, but when it is obvious the relationship cannot be mended, it may be time to move on. Life’s too short to be that miserable.
• If the organization is venturing into immoral or unethical practices. Don’t get caught in the next news scandal.
• When you find yourself physically ill if work crosses your mind on the weekend (or when you are off work). If the emotional stress is greater than you can handle and you must protect your health over the career.
• You are no longer pulling your weight. For whatever reason, whether it’s because you’ve given up, you are bored, or just can’t keep up, if you are dragging down productivity and you don’t have the incentive to improve, perhaps it’s time for a change in your workplace.

From time to time I’ll be sharing some of the thoughts and resources I used and came across that were helpful in making the right decision.  Quitting isn’t always the right decision nor should it be our first decision, but sometimes it is best to move on.

PS: I’m loving what I’m doing

Here’s an update on things from the world of Jones:

• I’m about to enter my 4th full week of being on my own in my businesses.  I’ve had several people ask me “how’s it going?”  It’s going well as we’re still adapting to the new setup.  I’ve been spending the first several weeks beginning to network more and do a lot of laying the ground work for business down the road.  Still a ways to go on that, but I think that it will pay off.  Not huge on the cash flow end of things but a necessity in building for the future.
• The rest of the time has been spent on finishing up on some existing projects that got put on the backburner because of the time demands in transitioning out of Cedar Creek.  In other words, I’ve been playing catchup on those items.  We’ve wrapped several projects this week so I see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I’ll be posting about those here and on my facebook/twitter accounts.
• We’re also starting to piece together our video production equipment for shoots.  The next step after that is to develop some script ideas and begin to move them from ideas to execution.
• I know it’s early on and there will be times where it will be difficult, but as I’ve been working for myself over the past month, I have no doubt that we made the right decision.  I’ve been putting in a lot of hours (some late), trying to network more, dreaming a lot, working to meet deadlines….. and I’m really loving what I’m doing.  It’s been a long time since I could honestly say that.  I’m very thankful for that.
• The housing market in Aiken, like most places I believe, is REALLY slow right now so not a whole lot of action on our home selling.  October offers a little more promise so we’ll see how things go.  Really looking forward to selling our home and moving into that next phase of our ongoing transition
• Totally random: we’ve been doing the song below at church for the last month or so.  Has really spoken to me and where we are.  Good stuff.
• Excited for the days ahead.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As I’ve been thinking, praying and living through the last 9 or so months of making the jump to be full time self employed, probably the biggest hurdle in my mind is fear of failure.  It’s the mental exercise you and I do where you go through in your mind all of the “what if” scenarios.  What if we can’t pay the mortgage?  What if we don’t have food?  What if nobody likes this post I’m typing? What if, what if, WHAT IF?!  As I look at my two kids’ faces, this reality of “What if” gets real.  This fear can become paralyzing, but it’s not isolated to those wanting to make career moves.

We face this fear in all areas of our lives.  There have been times as a creative that I’ve been afraid to try a new design or to bring an idea to fruition.  What if others don’t like it?  Fear.  It fleshes itself out in all areas of our lives.  What if I get honest with people about some things I’ve been dealing with? Fear.  What if put myself out there for someone and am rejected? Fear. What if no one notices what I do and it seems to matter to no one? Fear.

So how do you move past that fear barrier?  How do you deal with the reality of fear of failure?  As I’ve been working through my own “fear of failure”, here are some things that have helped and just some thoughts on that whole process:

1. Name the worse case scenario – Spell it out, write it out, talk it out.  If this thing really went as bad as the “What If” in my mind is, what would that look like.  Face it, look it dead in the eye.  And then…realistically, work through what you would do if it did happen.
2. Ask for the help that is already there – When I pray through my fear and then ask God for help, He gives it.  He has helped me deal with those fears.  It’s not that I forget what could be, but rather He gives me peace and confidence that in “What could be”, He’ll be there in that too.  Pretty cool how that works
3. The Point of Change – when your desire to be something different, to see a change, to do something different becomes greater than your fear of failure, that’s where the decision is made to move past your fear of failure.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to fail.  But more than that, I don’t want to come to the end of my days not having taken a risk because I was afraid to fail. That scares me more than failing.

I’ve been doing a lot of digging online and here was an article I read that addresses some of these ideas, especially for those considering making the jump to being self employed:

The Fear of Freelancing: Why You Could Be Hurting Yourself

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

I was in my early 20′s when someone first asked me “Are you planning on being a youth pastor forever?” My response was typically “Well, I think before it’s all said and done, I’ll end up doing a little bit of everything.”  I always thought that was an odd question to ask.  Not because  people don’t stay in student ministry for life, but because following Jesus and belonging to Him means that I didn’t just surrender to an area of ministry, I surrendered to Jesus Christ.  At some point He may call us to something that doesn’t look like student ministry.  I didn’t realize in my early 20′s how true that would be.  I’ve had the privilege of serving in student ministry, church media and a whole lot of different experiences that run the whole gamut of ministry.  And now, we’re about to take another turn in the road.

In May of this year, I sat down with Phillip, my pastor, and told him that our season of ministry at Cedar Creek has come to an end.  I asked him if he would be willing to work with us through a transition period, and he very graciously agreed.  So, that transition period is almost up as my last day as Creative Director at Cedar Creek Church will be August 31st.  This wasn’t an easy decision for us, and it came after much prayer, counsel and A LOT of soul searching.

Now, let me just say a few things: Jesus and I are good.  My wife and I are good.  Cedar Creek and I are good.  This has been a process in me that has been developing over the last several years.  So, if you’re looking for some juicy details, I got nothing for ya   While the last several years have been really difficult at times, I think that is the process that God often uses to move us on.  If we were always comfortable and content, none of us would change or move.

Here’s what’s up next for us:
Over the last decade plus, I’ve developed 2 businesses that I have operated in addition to my work at Cedar Creek.  Alive Media is my web, graphic and video production company that caters to businesses, churches and non profits.  4Thought Media is my company where i develop media (sermon illustrations, video countdowns, motion backgrounds, powerpoint games, and still images) for churches to use in varying ministry settings. I will be launching these businesses into a full time capacity.  We will also begin expanding our video production for businesses as well as partnering with churches to serve as a “Creative Team” for churches that may not have that or even to be a creative resource for those that do.

Also, as I’ve been praying over our next steps, the words “leave margin” keep coming to mind.  I believe that there is another piece to the puzzle that isn’t fully in focus yet, but as we go along, we are trusting that the Lord will make that clear.  I do plan on doing some fill in speaking for pastors and churches that need a break or need a fill in guy, maybe some speaking at student ministry events if that opens up. I’m not sure exactly what that looks like, either, but it sounds fun to me.

I did want to publicly say thanks to some people at Cedar Creek that have been a part of my 13 years of ministry there and have made an impact in my life:

• Richard Swift – I want to thank you for taking a chance on this really young student pastor way back in the day.  Thank you for stepping out in faith in starting Cedar Creek and for being a leader that others would want to imitate.  You are a giant in my book.
• Phillip Lee – Thank you for your friendship through the years and for working with me as God worked IN me.  I’m excited for you as God continues to lead Cedar Creek through you.
• Wes Holbrook – You were a brother to me in some very dark days.  In the desert, you were God’s mouthpiece saying, “Don’t setup camp…Keep walking.”  Love you bro.
• Danny Neu – You were the first Student Ministry staff that we had in addition to me.  Multi-talented and a servant’s heart.  I’m so thankful to have you as my friend.  Many adventures we’ve had, many more to come I’m sure.
• Kay Stanley aka K-Bird – Still remember those days in the “Old Post Office” downtown where it was Richard, you, Travis and me.  I think you will end up outlasting all of us   Thank you for going above and beyond and being the face of Jesus to so many.
• Susan Reck – I’ll never look at a green piece of paper the same way again.  Thank you for going to bat for my family and for keeping the church’s books on target all of these years.
• Walter Ray – I leave the creative department at CCC in very capable hands.  While I love seeing how God is using you in ministry, the real joy to me is watching you follow Jesus and grow into the man of God you are becoming.
• Kidz Creek and Centerpoint – Thank you for investing in my kids for all of these years.  Thank you that you not only shared with my kids the Gospel, but also “your very lives as well”. (1 Thess. 2:8)
• Samantha Thames, Tiffany Stewart, Terry Lee and the GRACE Kidz Staff and Volunteers – I have no evidence of this from Scripture, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if in Heaven there is a place of honor for those that minister to and care for children and people with special needs.  Thank you that you saw a need, that your heart was broken for that need, that you listened to Jesus and made it possible for my son and other children with special needs to know and experience Christ. I don’t have enough words to thank you.

Here’s how you can help:
Pray – We really would appreciate your prayers for our family, especially over the next several months.  This is a HUGE transition, and we’re leaning in to Christ as much as we know how.  Here are some things that we’re praying about that we would invite you to join us in:

1. Clients and the right projects – Obviously we need clients on an ongoing basis (business, church and non profit) to pay the bills, so pray that we would make connections with clients that are a good fit.  Also, pray that the Lord would bring out the creativity in us as we develop new scripts, projects and ideas.
2. Partnership – I really see working with a group of people (2 or 3…maybe more) with Alive Media and 4Thought Media to move them both toward becoming a studio of sorts.  These people would have to be the right mix of talent, heart and we’d have to work well together.  Pray that God would help me make those connections and raise up the right people.
3. House to sell – Right now our house is for sale…a tall order in this market.  Pray that we would get a good offer, preferably from a pre-approved buyer.
4. Transition – Pray for each of us the next several months will be a lot of transition.  Pray that we will all transition well.

Help us get the word out – The most effective marketing in my opinion is word-of-mouth.  If you know someone that is looking for a new website, video production, graphics help, etc., pass my name on to them.

While this is a big step of faith for us, we’re definitely excited about the road ahead.  Here we go.

” I was called to full time ministry.” “I was called to go be a missionary.” “I was called to work with students.” You know how it goes right: sitting in a worship service of some sort and the speaker begins to tell their story of when they were called by God to some sort of specific ministry, maybe that first step to trust Jesus, to be a missionary perhaps or to enter full time vocational ministry.  Often these stories challenge and encourage me as I see where God has taken them from where they were to where they are now.

Now imagine this: Abraham steps up on the stage at your church and as he begins his story, you hear this: “God called me to wander, to go astray.“  Do what?  Now, I’ve gone astray in my life, I’ve wandered at times, too.  But I gotta admit, that was my own doing though.  Tonight I was reading in Genesis and this phrase grabbed me: “And when God had me wander from my father’s household…” (20:13)  The original Hebrew actually means to stray, stagger, reeling or lead me astray.

Earlier God did call him to leave his home, his father’s house and go to a place to that God would show him.  God didn’t tell him where his destination was, either.  In essence, God was saying to Abraham to “start wandering”, and I’ll let you know when you’re there.  Yeah, that would totally throw off any “must be in control” tendencies I have.  Think about it.  From the outside looking in when Abraham got his “Call To Wander” most people must have thought he was loopy, unwise, not using good judgement, etc.  How could he just do that when he had a family to provide for and all?  So what’s your point, Jonesy?

My point is this:

If you choose to follow Christ fully, there is a possibility, maybe even a certainty, that at some point God will call you to wander.

That’s not comfortable, that doesn’t go down easy, but I believe it to be true.  I’m not talking about God leading you to sin or leading you away from Him to pursue an idol.  What I mean is that there will be a time where God will call you to wander in pursuit of Him, along with Him, through some places that won’t be fun and at times will be downright hell. I’m not talking about “I’m just feeling kinda spiritually dry”.  I’m talking about “I’ve been at this for months, years…when will this season end?” kind of wander.

I don’t have “3 simple happy hops to a better you” to give you on how to deal with it either.  Here’s what I do know from experience and from others that have been there: Choose to keep walking and don’t setup camp there.  Do whatever it takes to keep feeding on the truth of God from His word, lean in to those that are trustworthy at times and keep walking until He leads you out.

So it’s been a little bit since my previous post.  Wanted to give you a quick update in the world of Jones:

• As you can see in the post below, our house is on the market.  It has now been listed for a little over a month.  We’ve had a good bit of traffic, especially over the last several weeks.  Selling a house is WORK!  Here’s hoping that July is our month.
• Kim started a job working for the Aiken County Government last month.  She’s really enjoying what she’s doing so that is a plus!  While it’s been an adjustment for everyone, the family seems to be doing well with it.
• We took our family vacation earlier than usual this summer.  It was really kind of an odd one in that Kim was only able to be there for about 3 days before having to head back to work.  So, for much of the week it was me, my kids and my parents.  It was good to get away, and I’m already wanting to hit the beach again soon…maybe a day trip to Kiawah Island in July?
• This is about the time of year I start seriously craving some college football…and the cooler temps with it!  Don’t know how my DAWGS are going to do this year.  Tons of potential there, but you have to get it done on the field.  Another year like last year and there will be some changes at the top.  Just the nature of things.
• Really excited about the direction that Alive Media and 4Thought Media are going.  Got some cool projects that I’m working on right now and some exciting things coming down the road.
• Speaking of projects, one of the things I’m wanting to do more of is videography for events and weddings.  If you know of someone that is getting hitched in July or August, let me know.  I’m looking for a couple of weddings that I can video and edit to expand the portfolio, and it won’t cost them a dime.  Hit the contact me for details or message me on Twitter/Facebook.
• Kim and I were talking today and she said, “Can you believe that in two years Spencer will be in middle school?”  I about fell out.
• Well, that’s all for now.  l8r

Love the use of stickers in advertising in this post.  Thinking through how some of these could apply to some of the upcoming projects, series, websites, etc.

Don’t think I’ve posted this yet.  It’s a bumper I did for Pine Ridge Church a month or so ago.  Check it:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Well, blogging has been sketchy as of late.  Just really been a lot of things here and there going on that have kept me away.  This will probably be pretty random:

• Loving the fall, even more than usual this year.  I was trying to think of why, and I think I’ve nailed down several reasons.  Last year this time I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed because I was trying to get the remaining media, lighting and other pieces together to help launch the West Campus at Cedar Creek.  That and I was also beginning an online start up side business which I had to lay to rest this summer (that’s another post for another time).  It was a crazy time last year.  Plus, it seems that in this area we’re actually having a fall with some cooler temps here and there this year.  The trees have been pretty brilliant, too, in all their colors.
• Kind of along with that, I think this year I’ve actually taken the time more to “breathe” and enjoy the fall and Thanksgiving season.  I’ve had a chance to really think through how blessed I am…and we are.  God forgive me for the times I haven’t told You enough just how grateful I am for everyone and everything in my life.
• Can I be real?  Is it okay here to do that?  This past year has been an incredibly dry time in my life spiritually.  It’s been difficult.  Just been going through a lot on the inside and for a guy that usually wears his emotions on his sleeve, that’s not always a good thing.  I sit here now, not having a whole lot of “answers” about the things I’ve been praying about.  I think that is how life is sometimes, that it is not so cut and dry and we don’t always understand why we go through those times…not on this side of Heaven anyway.  That said, I am hopeful.
• Been working on several web projects over the past several months.  Here are a few that have gone live: Symphony Orchestra Augusta (previously the Augusta Symphony), Gateway Community Church, relaunch of 4Thought Media and the Swank Co.
• Feeling like I really want to become an After Effects guru.  I’ve pretty much run the gamut in Final Cut Pro, but am still kind of a novice in After Effects even though I’ve done a good many projects in it.  Looking to spend some time over the next several months learning more.
• Heading to Macon, GA for Thanksgiving this year.  Haven’t been there in 3 or 4 years so it will be good to see everyone there on my mom’s side of the family.  Looking forward to hanging out with my sister, too.
• My Christmas List: 1. Gift cards to go shopping for some clothes 2. chocolate 3. a new defensive coordinator and linebacker coach for my DAWGS………..and World Peace.
• Speaking of the DAWGS, really sad to hear that UGA VII passed away yesterday.  Wasn’t very old at all and died of a heart attack.  Came across this short video put together with Larry Munson below.  The word is now that they won’t get another UGA until after the season.
• That’s about it for now.

Click here to view the embedded video.