like father...

...like son.

His name is Jordan, he's nine, a sports fanatic and now...

A blogger.

Yes, my nine year old  has his own blog--he writes every word of it himself, with no assistance, first on paper then laboriously typing it out word for word.  Took him most of the day yesterday to get his first post done.  Welcome to the new World.

Like his Dad, he's enthusiastic and serious to a fault.  Like his Dad, he thinks his opinions matter and will talk a blue streak about them to anyone who'll listen.  Like his Dad, he's been reading from a very young age and already has quite the memory for the things he loves. Just don't ask him about the things he doesn't love.

Like his Dad.

He brought me his blog addy today because...

"Daddy, you have readers from all around the World on your blog and if you tell them about mine, maybe they'll start reading it!"

So, dear readers from all over the World, I present to you my son, and his...

blog.

T

flyin' in for a big meeting...

Big meeting today.  Might involve shooting a major feature-length documentary--or series--in China of all places.  I'm about to meet with the V.P of World Expo 2010 in Shanghai--flew into Vancouver today just for the meeting.

Crazy stuff.

A few years back, if you were to tell me I'd be flying five hours to meet a high-level delegation from China, it would have been a stretch for me to believe you.

The thing about this is that it came to us.  

We've connected with a high-raking journalist in Vancouver over the past year.  We've done some work with him and he's come to like us, I think, and trust the kind of work we do.  I was sitting in my office two weeks back and he just called out of the blue.  Told me about this Expo project and said he'd suggested us to the Chinese delegation.

And so here I am.

Once again a reminder that you just never know who you're going to connect with through the work you do nor how the work you do is going to impact those same people nor the way(s) in which that impact might translate to them asking you to do more things with them--unto making further impact.

Encouragement to keep doing what you're doing 'cause you just never know what's going to come of it.

And--total change of subject here--the reason I posted the picture from my flight today was because of all the symmetrical white shapes you can see on the ground.

Lakes?

Nope, patches of forest that have been clear-cut.  Because there are no longer any trees there, the snow piles up on the ground yielding a white patch shaped like the swath our machines have cut through the forest.

Now, it's clear I'm not the 'most' ardent environmentalist but, I will admit, all those white patches gave me pause today.  All the many times I've flown to Vancouver this year, there hasn't been snow over those portions of wilderness so I never had the white to highlight the blight.

Today I saw the fruit of our labor and consumption in a new way.

I feel humbled, and challenged.

Maybe you do to.

T

getting ready to jump...

You'd think--having done it before--that getting ready to take the leap would get easier.

I mean seriously, you've been down this road in the past.  You've jumped.  You survived.  More than survived, in fact, you are who you are today only because you took that leap.  If you hadn't jumped nothing that 'is' today in your life would be the same.

Yet you find yourself afraid, the closer you get to the edge.

Now--full disclosure here--I've been accused of trying to leap too soon and would admit that, in the past, I've been guilty as charged.  Part of that due to straight up character flaws, part of it to circumstance(s) and urgency, part due in large part to immaturity.

That doesn't change the fact that there comes a moment where you 'know' that you've got to 'go'.

So what do you do with that?

Do you listen to the critics?  Do you slow down and think about it?  Do you examine the surrounding hills to see if there's any way down other than jumping?  Do you weigh your options and build a careful plan and consult with others?

Or do you just jump?

Eventually, you jump.

Before you jump you have to get to the edge of the cliff.  Getting there is a journey.  Chances are, any good thing you feel compelled to do, is going to be a thing you know is hard to do and that you won't be able to do unless you have the connections and experience needed to at least get the process started.  That 'filter' (connections and experience) is pretty good to start with.

For example, if you want to produce a movie but don't have a distribution company you can call to get them to vet the script and talk with you about 'foreign' you're probably not ready.

That kind of thing.

But say you have those connections.  Say your experience is fairly deep and broad.  Say you're--to some small degree and for better or worse--a 'known' commodity.  Say you do have the people to call and they're calling you back and the things you need to happen--albeit baby, BABY, steps--are starting to happen?

Well then, if that's what happening to you, regardless of your industry or the thing you're contemplating doing, take it from me (a guy who's jumped a few times), you should keep walking towards that edge.

Along the way, keep yourself accountable to key signposts ie: make sure you're getting the things you need to 'get' to keep moving forward and to your better-half, talking incessantly about the thing you're about to leap into and listen to what they have to say.  Listen very carefully.  If you're blessed to have a good friend or two who are wise and will tell you truth, once you're about ten yards or so from the edge, ask them to talk to you and see if they can talk you out of it...

(If your Dad's an 'Oracle' listen to him)

If they can (talk you out of it), you should turn around.  If they can't and--best of all--if they start showing signs of wanting to leap with you, or at the very least, want to help you jump then you should close the final few yards...

And jump.

Exciting times friends.  There never was a better time to start something than in a social and economic downturn.  Legends, fortunes and movements were made by simple people who faced their fear and 'did it' when the chips were down and people and markets were ready for change.

Ready?

T

the past behind us...

That's our first date.

Todd and Niki on the left and two of our closest high-school era friends on the right.  My Dads smokin' hot red Camaro (yes CAMARO) in the background.

Yes, I used to wear suits.  I was a Pentecostal boy--what can I say?

Our lapels and ties give it away as 1994 or so.  Glad to say our hairstyles aren't THAT outlandish.

Mind you, the fact that the foreground is out of focus helps with that.  

The foreground is out of focus--how weird is that? 

 It's likely that Niki's friend's Mom--taking the picture--was less than a practiced photog hence the mixed up focus but here's the point.

I never noticed the lack of focus 'till today.

And it doesn't really matter if the past is out of focus does it?  That's kind of the way life is, isn't it?  

Your memories are fuzzy.  You remember extremes of pain and joy, the bright moments and dark ones.  You probably don't remember oatmeal for breakfast or the simple joys of laughter around the lunch table in your high school cafeteria.  

You do remember your first date, first kiss.  It all happened the night of that fuzzy photo.

You've got no clue as to what the future holds though.

Sure, you're full of hope.  Sure, you're hoping for the best.  But did you imagine fifteen years later and four kids and ten years in a career and three houses owned and all the trips and all the cars and all the flights and the days at the beach and the nights of despair?  All the sex and joy and sorrow and pain and the slow death of self?

Not that.  You couldn't have imagined that.

And that's something to think on when crafting your stories and writing your sermons and building your business or life.

Nobody's going to remember the practical details of the 'thing' you do.  They're going to remember the high points, the moments of impact.  It's when you hit 'em between the eyes that you're going to make a lasting impression--when you knock their socks off.

Added to those bright spots, they're going to remember the long-haul.  

If you can find a way to stick at doing the thing you do for fifteen years or more, chances are, the people who join you along the way for a year or two or three, those people, they'll remember you and your passion and your message and your point.

You just got to last.

From first date to fifteen years.

Fuzzy past, fuzzy future, glowing present.

You've got to treat each moment--every chance you get to make an impact--as golden and YOUR moment, your chance to make history.

Here's hoping your (and my) work today is unto that.

Making history.

T

Thickening your skin...

It's happening to me again...

Drama.

Sometimes no matter how hard you work, no matter what you do, or the sacrifices you make behind the scenes, there are going to be people in your life and work who choose to blame you for things that have happened that they perceive as 'bad' and a result of negligence or malicious intent on your part.

Of course, most of the time, nothing could be further from the truth.

But they don't know what you know, and they wouldn't see it the way you do, no matter what.

And that's the issue.

I don't know if I mentioned this to you here already but--even if I did--it begs mentioning again. I was interviewing a noted spiritual leader and best-selling author (he's an 'Oprah guy') a couple months back and he said something in the interview that's stuck with me to this day.

He reminded me that everyone sees and experiences life ONLY from their own perspective. He suggested therefore that you and I ought not to ever take anything anyone else does personally. Regardless of what appears to be being said about you or done to you, it's likely--he said--that what's going on with them is much more connected to who they are, what they've suffered and lived, and how they see things from their point of view, than it is--in reality--connected directly to you or your actions.

Pretty cool reminder.

Now, I filter what he said through my particular worldview (!) which reminds me that even if he's right, that's not an excuse for me to act wrongly towards someone or to be reckless in my behavior, attitude or work-ethic.  But, that said, his comments have certainly helped me to toughen up my skin.

Even though they're directing their venom at me, I'm free to let it roll off.  I'm free to say,  think and feel that their actions are their responsibility, and that I am not to be held accountable for their decisions, actions, attitudes, perspective or venom.

It's really helping me.

'Cause for many years I was very susceptible to these kind of 'personal attacks'.  In fact, I've often wondered if my sensitivity is something people pick up on and use 'against' me to try and force or manipulate me into yielding in a conflict thereby getting me to give them what they want.

I wonder...

(the funny thing is, I think there are many people I've interacted with professionally over the years who would think me the opposite of 'emotional' or 'vulnerable'...)

So I'm trying, all these years later, to be both 'righteous' (trying to do the right thing in any given situation and relying on grace and forgiveness when I fail...) and tough-skinned.

I've said it before, and I've been reminded of it again today--if you want to be a leader, if you want (and feel called) to live a life that's somewhat outside the margins or 'less ordinary' you're going to cause conflict and you're going to have people deciding not to like you.

This is true on a set--you can't be 'friends' with your gaffer, you have to get him to do what he needs to do--rain or shine--and he's not going to like you for it.

This is true in a Church plant--you can't be 'friends' with your congregants, you have to preach the truth to them and call them to do what they need to do--rain or shine--and they're not going to like your for it.

This is true in your home--you can't be 'friends' with your kids, you have to be their parent first and raise them and tell them to do what they need to do--happy or sad or mad--and they're not going to 'like' you for it until they're 28.

'Aint no other way around it.

So get your helmet on and keep goin' friend, keep goin'.

T

imagination everywhere...

 

D'you recognize it?

C'mon, try a little harder...

No?

Here's a hint.  Egyptology.

Okay, Egyptology homeschool-style.

Ahhhhh!  You got it don't you?

The Great Pyramid and The Sphinx.

I'm in the basement, working away, and the kids just popped down to tell me what they've been working on with their 'ancient history' and 'geography' studies this afternoon.

Take a little lego, mix it with their fertile minds, that's what you get.

Cool.

I'm inspired by my kids.  Inspired to remember childhood.  Inspired to remember what it's like to draw or build the World in the image of your dreams.  Inspired to dream.  Inspired to build.

Inspired to keep trying.

'Cause imagination is effortless for them.

That's why they say the Kingdom is for little kids.

They can see it.

T

breakfast 'omens'...

I needed that smiley face today.

Having been working without a contract since November 2008 I've/we've been in a really tough phase.  Being a producer isn't like working for a producer.  When you work for someone you typically get paid for the work you do.  Pretty simple.  When you're the person--or in my case one part of a team of two--generating the funds it's a whole different deal.

I remember my business partner telling me--back nearly ten years ago when we first started working together--that I needed to develop an appreciation for how hard it is to 'make' money. His point was that an 'employee' sees things in a simple light--I work, you pay me.  The money kind of 'magically' appears.  But for the employer you have to find someone or some entity who's willing to 'give' that money to you first and that process is extremely difficult.

Ten years later I appreciate his words in a very deep way.

So, this morning, I go to pick up coffee, natural peanut butter, english muffins and milk for our breakfast.  I go to the bank machine expecting to find a certain amount there--and no princely sum at that--and instead I find myself all but cleaned out.

Blood pressure rises, heart palpitates "Oh man, here we go again.  Back to this..."

It's a terrible feeling.

So I buy half the coffee, choose the cheaper english muffins (the ones I like are twice the price) and hold my breath at the register hoping the total will be under $15 which is what I happened to have in my wallet.

$11.47.

I drive home, feeling right depressed now.  See, if I was an 'employee' I'd be fine.  I've been busting my ass since November putting in long days and--more importantly--developing good, strong, creative ideas for TV series, movies and online initiatives.  The work I've done in the past five months would normally be worth a six figure salary--easy.

But, that 'salary' won't exist 'till my business partner and I turn said ideas and pitches into signed contracts and said contracts turn into cash flow scenarios vetted by legal and accounting and put into monthly rotation.

Then we'll start paying people--including ourselves.

Will we ever make the five months back?  Well, in theory, yes.  The difference between me and an employee is that if we ever re-sell one of our hypothetical series--past the first window--then any revenues from that go not to our entire staff or team but to the partners in the corporation, one of which is me.

Sounds good.

Problem is--some days--I feel quite low 'cause I've been doing this kind of thing for ten years or so now and never yet have we had one of those 'windfall' moments where we get a huge cheque as back-payment.

My business partner would be quick to remind me that--looking back--we've done better every year than the year before, and he's right, we have, but faced with rationing your english muffins you tend to not be necessarily disposed to taking the 'long view'.

Back to breakfast...

So, we cook.  I'm pretty silent through it all, feeling down about things and wracking my brain for ways to diversify, to multiply my revenue streams.  I can tell my wife is troubled by my silence so I'm trying to be 'happily silent'.

It's not working though.

We sit down to breakfast.  I'm working hard to not snap at my kids.  It's not that they're being bad per se it's just that all the normally crazy and loud and mess-inducing things they do are grating on me more than usual 'cause I'm stressed and down and they're the closest target so my tendency is to snap at them just 'cause.

I've got the eggs, the english muffins and the coffee all ready to go.  I'm waiting for Niki to sit down before I start eating.  She shows up at my shoulder.  Drops two pieces of melon on my plate.  Not carefully, or deliberately, just drops them on my plate.  I thank her.  She gives me a kiss on the cheek.

We notice the plate.

It's smiling at us.

(Jesus is smiling at us)

It's going to be alright.

We start smiling.

And we pray, with the kids...

"Thank you Lord for giving us, this day, our daily bread..."

Cheap-ass english muffins and the last four eggs in our fridge and coffee mixed weak so it'll last a little longer...

All of it smiling at us.

T