following the pattern...

Do you see a pattern emerging?

That's what's happening in my life.  See, it's February and my Februarys have been getting more and more similar with time.

Let's see if we can spot it...

Feb 2000--> First son just born, back from producing in Vancouver, wondering what to 'do' with my life.

Feb 2001--> Just planted FreeChurch Toronto, totally immersed in trying to survive.

Feb 2002--> Pastoring FT, feeling the 'itch' to become a screenwriter. Decide to start that year.

Feb 2003--> Pastoring FT, church starts growing, start second screenplay.

Feb 2004--> Pastoring FT, church is getting really solid, third and fourth screenplays done, start feeling the itch to direct.

Feb 2005--> In my 'exit year' at FT, church is really rockin', direct my first commercial then another one then another one then a music video. Write two more scripts.

Feb 2006--> Retired from FT, busy prepping then starting to direct my first feature film.

Feb 2007--> Finish my first film, getting ready to screen it, about to embrace 'the year of doom' as nothing happens for the rest of 2007.  Write another screenplay.

Feb 2008--> Up to my eyeballs producing two TV series out of Vancouver.

Feb 2009--> Waiting to see if I'll have any work in 2009, get the call to start budgeting, end up producing the series and making a whole bunch of new L.A connections. Start feeling the itch to plant another church. Write another screenplay.

Feb 2010--> Just planted THE WELL, waiting to see if I'll have any work in 2010, get the call to start budgeting...

Okay, the pattern's not quite as clear as I thought it might be. 

Here's the thing. Every year since 2000 I've had this kind of 'ramp' deal going on where the year unfolds then slows right down at the end of the year leading into the start of the next. In the years between churches (FT and TW) the slow down was more pronounced because I, literally, had nothing to do.  I'd read and blog and think and write and hang out with my wife and kids and hope and pray and wait.  

2007 was a terribly difficult year, getting worse and worse from March on.  From August (after getting a final 'no' on a job prospect in Chicago) to December 17th we just sat around (I mean, we were hustling our butts off but nothing was happening) slowly approaching bankruptcy. Then a series we'd pitched in October 2006 finally 'locked' and that led to an insane 2008 where I produced more than 450 half-hours of television.

However...

November 2007 our deals were all supposed to 're-up' and none of them did. What we didn't know at the time was that the Network we were working with was about to get bought out by one of Canada's most prolific media barons totally changing the landscape.  From where we sat though, November 2007-May 2008 was another wasteland.

Very depressing.

It was February 2009 when my business called me saying, "Hey, I think you should start working on a new budget 'cause I think this thing might be starting to trend positive..."

"Starting to trend."

But I did it, getting down to the production design of what would become our most successful (by far) TV series ever.  

We then spent all of 2009 working on the thing and then, started hustling our butts off in late summer/early fall hoping to get some pitches and concepts ready in time for the pre-christmas surge.  Pre-Christmas 2009 arrived and we were in full-on blitz mode trying to lock funding for a new graphic novel initiative, immersed in development on a drama series, trying to get our talk series syndicated Worldwide and set up for a second season, shopping two reality series and a sit-com.

Then Christmas hit and, BOOM, wasteland again.

January was a write off.

And that brings us to February 2010 where, just Monday of this week, my wife and I were feeling that same old, "Man, it looks like we might not have any work this year..." feeling. I was actually starting to brainstorm what kind of 'real job' I could go out and get.

(this, while planting a new church that's growing explosively at this point, continuing to develop that drama series, those reality series, workshopping a new small feature concept, trying to suck blood from a stone to fund a graphic novel project that's getting awesome-er by the second, negotiating a distribution deal for our first small film and giving our talk series absolutely everything we've got to try and get a second season locked)

And it's going nowhere.

Or at least that how I felt Monday.

Then Tuesday (yesterday) I get 'the call' from my business partner.  "Hey, I think you should start working on a new budget 'cause I think this thing might be starting to trend positive..."

And, just like that (which is SO NOT 'just like that') we seem to turn the corner into a new year that might (MIGHT) not be spent doing nothing.

Because, you see good reader, there is a pattern here.  I am beginning to see a method in the madness, a design in the desert, a Maker in the mayhem.

And that gives me hope.

And, maybe, that gives you hope.

'Cause, if you take a moment to think about it, chances are you'll see that a pattern has begun emerging in your life as well.

T