My Story – Part 1
After much thought and debate I decided to write about the season of life I just went through. I hope that it will somehow encourage you and let you know that no matter what you are currently going through, God is indeed in control. Always.
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“Today’s going to be your last day.” Two words I thought I would never hear. I packed my desk in shock. I turned in my key and parking pass and got into my car and drove home. I remember walking in the door and the dogs came running up to me and I said, “You guys will still love me right?” As I sat on my bed still in shock, a realization came over me. “God, you really were serious weren’t you?”
The previous week I had taken off on an adventure. Grabbed my Bible and some books and rented a cabin in East Tennessee. I wanted my “God Experience” that I hear so many talk about. On the last day of my stay, I got honest with God about my life. I asked some tough questions, shed some tears and then was asked a question back. “Do you trust me Wes? Do you trust the path and plans I have for you? Are you really ready?” I decided right then and there that this was a serious question I was being asked. I remember sitting on the kitchen floor contemplating on what I should do. I could either say, “Yes, I am. I’m yours.” Or I could live my life for myself and stop all this confusion right then. I told God that I accept his plans. I was ready to go where he leads. I was confident. I was ready world! Bring it on! I left the cabin on Saturday. I lost my job Monday.
Donald Miller calls this an inciting event. Something that throws you into the next chapter of your life. I wish I could tell you that this inciting event became an exciting event. I woke up most days with tears in my eyes. How can a 27 year old who was producing and directing commercials fall so hard so fast? How did I become an unemployed 27 year old overnight? How did I fail? And what the heck was God up to? Really? This was your plan??
For the next 3 1/2 months I invested in myself and tried to discover my passions. I read books, had coffee with friends and prayed. And prayed. What was overwhelming was the response from co-workers, vendors and friends. I was told numerous times how much our friendship meant to them. That’s where I found my passion. Investing in people and building relationships. It’s what made me feel alive. It’s what I love to do.
I remember having coffee with Blake Bergstrom and telling him that as naively as this is going to sound, I just wanted to “love people.” He looked at me with one of his Bergstrom looks and said, “that’s my job!” I would like to think that at that moment one of my eyebrows raised and then a light bulb lit up above my head. That’s it!
I believe that was another inciting event for me. That moment threw me into the pursuit. I knew what job I wanted, I just didn’t know how to get it. What could I offer a ministry?
Here’s what I want to convey about my journey to this point. God’s plan wasn’t fun. It wasn’t pretty. It hurt. It was painful. At times it seemed lonely and ridiculous, but I had no other choice. I accepted this path and said that I trusted where he was going to lead me. My character means more to God than my comfort. I trusted God, but I was still under the illusion that his plan was bound to be what I had imagined in my head.
I quickly found out that his plans might just be a little different than mine. Much different…
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!
Ministry Lesson #1
I’ve decided to create a series of lessons that I am learning about ministry. For those who don’t know, a little more than a month ago I came on board at Cross Point to assist Pete Wilson on a day to day basis. It’s been an amazing opportunity to learn everything I can about ministry and serve with the most talented and best group of people I have ever been around.
I hope the lessons I am learning will give you an insight into the world of ministry and what I am learning. These lessons are just what I am personally learning. Hope you enjoy.
Ministry Lesson #1
A LOT of work goes into a Sunday service. A lot. I am amazed at the energy and time it takes from staff AND volunteers to make Sunday happen. Of course every single second is worth it, but that’s not the lesson. That was just a realization. The lesson that I have learned is that I have to turn myself off in order to worship.
Sundays are a work day. We all have responsibilities on that day, so how do we also experience worship? We all need that time on Sundays to worship with others, but I will admit that it is easier said than done. The first few weeks I found myself sneaking into the service right before the message. I would try my best to listen, but I would still be in work mode.
“Why is that guy standing up in the middle of the service? Why is he approaching the stage? What happened to the video cue?” And on and on it went. I would leave with a sense of job well done and know that people experienced God. But did I?
It wasn’t until after Catalyst that I realized I was cheating God on Sundays. Catalyst wasn’t my responsibility and I sat back and worshiped and learned. It was refreshing and convicting.
So I learned a lesson. I have to turn “off” and give God everything I have during one of the services. From beginning to end. I’m sure it will be a discipline that I will have to work on, but nothing I am doing is as important as stopping and experiencing the creator of the universe with those around me.
Lesson Learned.
What’s a discipline that you have had to institute in order to give God the time he deserves?
Lucky Compassion
I got the opportunity to attend the Catalyst Conference this past week and came back with a notebook full of notes, a renewed energy and a moment that I won’t soon forget.
During the segment to pimp out Compassion International they had a gentleman on stage that told his story of being a Compassion kid. He had the first letter that his sponsor ever sent to him and he read it aloud. The letter talked about God’s love and how excited the sponsor was to sponsor him. There wasn’t anything special or remarkable about the letter, yet it changed this mans life. He was now in Bible college and couldn’t wait to go back to home to teach others about Christ.
Then he was asked if in all those years of writing back and forth with his sponsor if he had ever met him. He said no, he hadn’t. They told him to turn around. His sponsor was behind him and the man completely lost it. Overcome and overjoyed, tears flooded down his face as he slumped to the stage. No words. Just hugging the man who simply cared enough to write. Letters shaped his life. God can use anything.
I immediately put on my calendar, “Write Lucky a letter.” Lucky is my Compassion kid. He gets his money every month, but does he get the love that this man obviously felt? I don’t know, I just know that I need to keep loving and writing and let God take care of the rest.
It’s the best $32 a month you can spend.
When’s the last time you were humbled by someone’s story?
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.
4 guys, 3 dogs, 1 house
The place I live is now a zoo. We got a new roommate and with him came a new dog. A young dog. An energetic young dog. His name…. Beethoven. Just kidding, his name is Wyatt.
Before Wyatt, the other two dogs in the house (Squirrel and Katie) lived a life of laying on the couch and pooping in the back yard. Their biggest worry was trying to reach that itch.
This is Squirrel.
This is Katie.
Enter Wyatt
That’s Wyatt and behind him was his dog food bag. The next picture is some carnage that Wyatt did to my room after kicking the door open and running upstairs to share his mud with me.
Now things are different. At first Squirrel and Katie were annoyed and mad that a new dog was in the house that wanted to play and lick them constantly. Then things started to change, they still hate to be licked and bothered, but now they have a new attitude. They escape the backyard together. In fact, I found all three making a break for it this morning.
Katie is back to turning over trash cans and rummaging through them. Squirrel thinks the carpet mat in the bathroom is HIS bathroom. They are all acting Wyatt’s age and not their own.
Hopefully this is all just a phase that will go away, but it’s been interesting to see the behavior of the other dogs. If iron sharpens iron, then young dogs ruin old dogs behavior.
One last picture. Here’s Wyatt trying to get back through a hole he dug to the neighbors house.
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.
A Fearless Review
The last time I read one of Lucado’s books I was 17 years old. I don’t remember the title or even what it was about, so when I got his newest book, “Fearless” in the mail, I was understandably skeptical. Then I opened it. This book could not have come at a better time in my life. Going through a season of complete change, the word “Fearless” wasn’t in my vocabulary.
Lucado takes each chapter and picks a fear that is common today. Using scripture and personal stories, he tackles fear head on and gives the reader hope in todays frightening world. Whether it is fear of overwhelming challenges or fear of God not being real, Max delivers real and honest answers about each topic.
After reading this book, I was able to do just what the tagline said. I closed the book, sat back and imagined my life without fear. Then I got up and faced my fears head on and surrendered them. I’m not claiming to be fearless, but now I trust more and fear less. So can you and that’s why you should read it.
Jesus Calling Review
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young is a daily devotional book written from the perspective of God. Each day there is a short passage that serves as a reminder of God’s love. To be honest, I wasn’t sure of what to expect at first, but each devotional is supported by scripture. I also found that each day served as encouragement to face the trials and temptations that were in my life at the time.
I also have to confess that I prefer “Streams in the Desert” to this devotional. I am more of a narrative person, so I enjoy hearing stories and specific examples of faith demonstrated, but don’t let that deter you. This book is a wonderful encouragement for anyone trying to daily live out the convictions and love of Christ in their life. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for daily guidance.
