Church as a kid: The Invitation

*Warning* this is just a humorous (I realize that is debatable) look at memories of when I was a kid at church. That’s all. But, let’s be honest, if you grew up in church you had the same thoughts.

Things I remember about church when I was a kid…

After every service, and I mean every service, we had an “invitation.” Now, let me give this preface, I am not saying that this was a bad thing. But as a kid, it was long and painful.

The invitation was a time for people to walk down in front of the entire church and whisper to the pastor what was going on in their life. Decisions were made and prayer was given. Sounds easy enough, right?

Well there was a little more to it than that. There was a process. First, the pastor must remember to turn his mic off. I used to get quiet joy when the first few words out of the poor souls mouth on how messed up his/her life was echoed throughout the sanctuary. (Yes, I have confessed this quiet joy.)

Next came the prayer. The pastor would huddle with the person and pray, but behind their back he would hold up some fingers. Depending on how many counselors were needed, he would hold that number up. He would keep them up, and his prayer, until the appropriate number of counselors touched his arm.

I was never asked to be one of the people who were allowed to touch his arm while he prayed. (Probably a good thing) I don’t know what the qualifications were but I saw them many times during my youth group years, especially at revivals.

My favorite part of the entire service was when the “signal” was given. The entire time the invitation was going on the music minister was leading everyone else in song. He would go from verse to verse to verse while the invitation was being given. When no one else was letting go of the pew and coming down, the pastor would turn to the music minister and circle his index finger. That meant wrap it up, last verse. Needless to say, that verse was always sung the loudest by everyone, as I wasn’t the only one who knew that the end was near.

Lastly, we were all let in on the secrets as everyone who came down front and made a decision were presented and we all clapped for them.

I bet I have spent at least 6 months of my life standing in the pew during the invitation trying to guess what was wrong with each person that came down the isle. I became jealous of senior citizens who got to sit down in the longer invitations and would quietly groan when someone would wait until after the “signal” was given before coming down (I confessed this as well), as this meant a new signal would have to be given.

Ah, the memories of the invitation.

Job Hunting Creatively

Searching for a job is a full time job. You search and you search and when you submit your resume for a job, you become one in a thousand of other resumes. I wanted to share something that I did that allowed me to stand out from the pack. I saw this job on a website that lists hundreds of jobs and initially clicked “Apply.” My resume was sent to the contact person.

A week later, I of course, heard nothing. So I got fed up. I believed my skills lined up with this job and that they needed to talk to me. So I stalked. I found out the contacts name and found the church’s website. I read his profile, looked him up on facebook, etc. I tried to find out as much as I could about the person hiring and then I wrote him an email and sent it to his work email account that I found. I broke all the rules of a cover letter and didn’t even attach my resume. Here is what I sent:

TA,

I realize that this is probably a long shot, but what the heck. I found the opening of Student Ministry Creative Director on ChurchStaffing.com and immediately was intrigued. After reading about your church and the position, I would love the opportunity to be rejected like Somer Riley did me in 8th grade.

I am 28 years old and live in Nashville, TN. (Not sure if this is open to people outside of Austin, but like I said…it’s worth a shot. The worst thing that could happen is you reply with “Mr. Howard, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.” – $1 to Billy Madison)

But…if you like talking to amazingly talented and passionate people then we should talk. My background is in TV production. I have made country music videos and recently worked for 3 years making personal injury lawyer commercials. Impressive huh? I can’t wait to show you some of my better “hurt, call us” commercials.

I am now pursuing my passion of using my talents and abilities sharing God’s love in full time ministry. I have been lucky enough to volunteer with Cross Point Community Church this past year in many capacities and know that this is where God can use me best.

I was going to attach my resume, but then again some email servers block that kind of stuff and I don’t want to be sentenced to the spam filter. I would love to send it to you though and appreciate you reading this long, if you are still reading. If not then you are about to miss out on another amazing movie quote.

If you were to ask me what roads I would take in my creative at XYZ Church, I would reply with “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.” And I believe it. And I start sentences with “and”.

Look forward to speaking with you,

Wes Howard

Sending a resume with a traditional cover letter = No response
Doing some research and being creative = A response 15 minutes after I clicked send.

He responded that out of the hundreds of cover letters and resumes he has gotten, mine was the only one to quote “Back to the Future.” (Which I found out was his favorite movie from his bio.) Before I pat myself on the back too much, I must let you know that in the end I did not get the job. I did make it to the final 2 candidates for the job and I never once met them in person. The candidate that got the job was local and was a personal friend.

Hope this encourages everyone out there going through the tough time of job searching. Get creative and have some fun. This was the most fun I had while job searching. Good luck!

From the desk of…

I completely understand that we all have some weird tendencies, but I felt I had to point out one that I have noticed from Pete Wilson. The dude doesn’t throw away his gum. Not sure if he can’t bear the thought of being without it or if he’s not done with it, but he will place it wherever. Here’s some proof.

Those are the only 3 pics I could manage to get, but trust me it’s a daily occurrence. There’s no shortage of gum here at Cross Point either. I guess it’s the little things that make us all weird. Now excuse me while I go put ketchup on my potato chips and drink milk with pizza.

What’s something weird that you do?

Story Time

I just finished a story. I closed the book and set it neatly on my bookshelf and stepped back and took a look at my accomplishment. Then I asked myself, “What are you going to remember from that book?” You see, I have trouble sometimes remembering a lot about the books I read. I read them and enjoy them, but soon after I forget a lot of the details. I forget the story.

How I answered my question surprised me. I will remember the importance of a story. My story to be exact.

What inciting events are throwing me into new chapters? What memorable memories am I making? What progress is the main character making? What story is my life telling?

Donald Miller faced these questions when two producers approached him about turning Blue Like Jazz into a movie. Once he was told that his life was boring and needed to be edited, he found out what elements were needed to make a story great. What resulted was one of the best books I have ever experienced. I say experienced because that’s exactly what it was. A story about story. Miller is more mature in his writing and it feels different from his other books. That’s neither good nor bad, just different. It is evident that Miller is living a great story now. No more editing.

I will always remember A Million Miles in a Thousand Years because it was an inciting event for me. If you don’t know what that means, then you should read the book and hop into your own story.

Go for it or Punt?

It’s 4th and 3 and your favorite football team lines up to punt the football. You sit back in your chair and accept the fact that it’s the right decision.

But is it?

A new study has come out that says teams should start going for it. The author backed it up with all the statistical information and made a pretty good argument.

Then he said something that hit me like a ton of bricks and it didn’t have to do with just football.

In short, almost all people tend to fear losses far more than they value equivalent gains. In this perspective, a punt is considered the “break-even” decision. A failed conversion attempt is seen as a loss, and a successful attempt is seen as a gain. But the loss is feared disproportionately, and the result is clouded decision-making.

When your favorite football team actually goes for it on 4th down, how nervous are you? I know I am on the edge of my seat. It’s because we know what we are risking. There is something on the line. This is the last chance.

In my Christian walk and even life, how many times have I decided to go with the “break-even” decision? The one that didn’t cause any risk of a “loss” or a “gain.” Just walking through life breaking even…

Thinking back to football games I have watched… the ones I remember most are the ones where risks were taken and much was either lost or gained.

It’s time to start going for it.

So fresh and so clean, clean

So I did it. I decided to get my own web address and that included a new look! This was possible because of my good friend Ben Rigsby. Many thanks to him for helping me out. Check out his work, he’s good.

Let me know what you think…good or bad. It’s a work in progress. Also, be sure to update your blog roll lists if you don’t mind. The other address won’t be updated anymore.

I look forward to writing more and getting more involved. I hope that’s kosher with you and I also hope you enjoy your time here.

Add in a dash of hope

Hope is a golden cord connecting you to heaven. – Jesus Calling

What would happen if we lost hope? The “golden cord” connecting you to heaven becomes loose as you let go of your end. Your head lowers and the feet that once marched bravely ahead begin to barely move. Progress is at a standstill. The road you are on is rocky and uneven. If you were able to lift your sunken head to look around you would see a path that is full of detours, mountains, valleys and roadblocks.

If you have ever felt that way remember that cord of hope. It’s still in your hands. Grip it. Pull it towards you. Stretch the cord tight. The road around you will remain rocky and uneven. There will still be detours, mountains, valleys and roadblocks, but you will have hope. Hope in the creator of the world. The one who loved you so much he allowed his only Son to die for you. Enough said.

Thankfulness = Trust

There are many ways to open a door, but a grateful attitude is one of the most effective. Learn the art of giving thankfulness in all circumstances. It will cushion the impact of trials when they come against you. – Jesus Calling 7/24/09

There’s something soothing about being thankful about something. A feeling of gratitude towards someone who has blessed you. But do we think about being thankful as a way to open up a door? Showing thankfulness to someone adds depth to a friendship/relationship. It adds trust. Trust that might be needed in future circumstances. It apparently works the same way with God. Showing gratitude towards God increases trust and when you are faced with a situation that requires a lot of trust, you will be thankful again that the impact of the trial fell on a mound full of trust instead of a crater full of doubt.

Ironing Part 2

Not sure I want to post this…

I hope my future wife doesn’t read my blog, whoever she is…

I think I learned how to iron…

Today is a new day…

Test