Workin' for a Livin'

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I've been busy doing some freelance work for a company a friend of mine works for. It's been taking up a lot of my time outside of my day job. You might be wondering "What the heck are you doing taking on a freelance job when your work has been consuming you...at least according to that other post you wrote!" 

It's an interesting situation. Doing this freelance job has actually helped me (temporarily, at least) get the frustrations of my day job out of my head. Yes, I'm making videos but it's not the same. The subject mater is completely different and I'm getting my hands on the equipment again...getting back in the trenches, so to speak. In my day job I do more managing than actual doing. I have a great guy that works for me who does the shooting and editing while I hover over his shoulder and drive him nuts. This freelance job has been all me – lighting, camera, directing, editing...everything.

In some ways it's a nice reminder that I still know how to do this stuff. It also helps me appreciate the team of people I work with on a daily basis.

On a more selfish basis, the side work is going to help finance my new iPhone. Sounds like an all around win to me! Now if i can just get this project wrapped up so I can go reintroduce myself to my wife...

First snow

It's Tuesday, October 21, 2008 and the first snow of the season is falling. It wasn't supposed to snow much, but the grass is covered already. Those poor weather guys in Colorado...there are way too many variables to keep them from getting it right!

The snow seems a bit early this year. We typically don't get the first snow until it's closer to Halloween. I'm rather ambivalent about it this year. Usually I find the first snow a touch depressing as it signals the official end of warm weather. This year, not so much.

So, I raise a toast to the first snow of the fall/winter of 2008/2009. Feel free to join in with your mug of cider, hot cocoa, or other beverage of choice. Cheers!

The Sunday Blues

It's been a fairly busy weekend; a Friday night wedding, helping with the weekly house cleaning Saturday morning, celebrating my nephew Trevin's 4th birthday at lunch Saturday, a violin recital with my niece Katrina later Saturday afternoon. We went to church Sunday morning (including helping with the coffee and donut table) and then I mowed and winterized the lawn in the afternoon. Right now Lisa is out with a few friends having tea so I have some quiet time while I wait for the dryer to finish with the current batch of laundry.

Weekends like this leave me a little down. Sure we got a lot accomplished and spent time with family, but all the activity didn't leave me much down time. Being an introvert that means I didn't really get a chance to recharge my batteries this weekend. With Monday lurking around the corner I find my brain is shifting back into work mode...too soon. The result: I have a case of The Sunday Blues.

There's a lot of stuff going on at work right now. Busy is always better than having too much time on your hands, but it has been non stop for far too long now and it's more than having too many projects. Don't get me wrong. I love what I do and being able to make videos that have an impact in the lives of children around the word...well, that's pretty amazing. A friend of mine wrote about doing what you love in his blog a few weeks ago and it is true in so many ways. The issue I'm facing right now is that work has become consuming. It's challenging to not start thinking about, talking about, worrying about...you get the idea.

So, what can I do? Or, more directly, what do you do to keep your work from consuming you, from beginning to define who you are? I'm looking for suggestions/ideas that might help me find ways to break the fever of my Sunday Blues.

The Economy - A Common Man's Perspective

The Economy. There probably isn't anyone reading this who hasn't thought about the current world economic situation and how it is, or is going to impact their life. Food prices are going up. The cost of gas and utilities are through the roof. Retirement accounts are shrinking. I'm just a common man and don't profess to be an economist. I certainly don't know how to fix what's happening. But I do have some perspective on where a lot of the responsibility for these difficult economic times lie.

1. "The American Dream" has changed over the past several decades. It used to be that through hard work, dedication, educational opportunities and advancement you could make a good income and provide a comfortable living for you and your family. Through your efforts you could achieve your dream. Somewhere along the way, the dream has become a list of entitlements. "I deserve to have a huge home, new car(s), flat screen TV(s), expensive clothes, and a luxurious, early retirement. I don't really want to work too hard in order to get all this stuff. I'm an American...it should be given to me. Preferably on a silver platter." The dream has become a nightmare.
   
2. Government. Irresponsible government spending has set the tone for US citizens. "Our government can't live within the means that our tax dollars provide so they rack up billions of dollars in debt. Surely a little bit of personal debt so I can buy that new car or bigger house isn't so bad." Some debt can be justified for the overall health and well-being of our nation but the vast majority of our national debt is waste, plain and simple. The hole that is currently being dug will put future generations in extreme financial risk. Government officials, elected and otherwise, generally lead very comfortable lifestyles and are paid significantly more than the average American. They are out of touch with the people they serve and are setting a dangerous precedent. 
   
3. Corporate Greed. Gone are the days when a reasonable profit was acceptable in corporate America. Industry in the 21st Century must make huge profits and line the pockets and bank accounts of its executives, board members, and major stock holders. How many times have we read about corporations and institutions failing, laying off thousands of people, blowing out employee retirement plans due to irresponsible management and yet the top executives make millions with their "golden parachutes?" As the price of oil skyrockets worldwide, squeezing the budgets of consumers, we read about the oil industry making billions of dollars in profits.
   

Lots of finger pointing is going on about who's at fault for the big economic crash. Democrats blame President Bush, but isn't it the Democratic controlled Congress who really sets and controls the budget? Democrats and Republicans both blame the greed of the financial institutions, but wasn't it those very politicians who encouraged banks to provide bigger, riskier loans to more people to help them buy bigger, more expensive homes? We point our fingers at the government saying they should have watched out for us and not allowed this to happen, but aren't we the ones who voted for them and put them in office to begin with and let them do pretty much whatever they want with little or no accountability? Home owners blame the mortgage companies and banks when they suddenly can't afford their house payment, but wasn't it these same home owners who bought more house than they could afford without educating themselves about what those sub-prime, adjustable rate mortgage payments would balloon to in a couple of years? We complain about the high price of gas for our cars but we don't try to plan our days to maximize our efficiency for the number of miles we drive and God forbid we carpool with someone because that would just be too inconvenient.

As we get angry and point the finger at those we seek to blame for the breakdown of the economy, we need to stop and take a look at our hand. See that finger sticking out towards those we want to accuse of wrecking our "dreams?" Look closely. There are three other finger pointing back at us. We all bear some responsibility for what is happening. It's time to suck it up and stop acting irresponsibly. We need to make smart decisions about how and what we spend our money on. We need to hold both ourselves and our elected officials accountable for financial decisions that affect our lives. It's time to stop being greedy and to start living within our means personally, professionally, corporately and nationally. It won't happen overnight, but with perseverance and discipline I think we can weather this storm.

Am I off base? Do I just not get it? I'd love to hear what you think.

Back to Africa Part 2

I'm headed Back to Africa during the first part of November. This is very exciting for me as I have been "out of Africa" for 18 months, the longest period of time away since I came on staff at Compassion in 2003. I'll be in Kenya between Nov. 7 and 15.

Africa, especially Kenya, holds a special place in my heart. Kenya was the first country I visited in Africa in the fall of 2003. I went there to film a video for Compassion and one of our partner ministries, the Continentals. It was a very special time, kind of the same feeling you get when you've just returned home after a long trip. The people are beautiful and genuinely warm and friendly. The landscape is beautiful. The African sky is every bit as magnificent as it has been described and then some. Kenya has become one of my favorite destinations in the world, and having set foot in 27 different countries that's a fairly big statement. I literally don't remember how many times I've been there since my first visit, but it was frequent enough that our country staff began to joke that I soon would need to start paying taxes. My sister thinks that if I was given the opportunity and the timing and conditions were right I would permanently move to Kenya...that might be stretching it a bit but you never know!

This upcoming trip will be even more special. We're celebrating the opening of a boarding school for girls in the Najille area in the Rift Valley. This area is home to the nomadic Massai tribe. Traditionally, the Massai have been polygamous and their traditions have viewed women as inferior to men. Women weren't viewed as having anything valuable to contribute to the communities in which they lived. As a result, there was very little emphasis on education for girls. The Massai have been known to marry off daughters as young as 12 years old. This enabled the parents to rid themselves of the "burden" of raising their daughters and have one less child to have to feed and care for.

Several years ago, one of our Project Coordinator's at Compassion's Kenya office felt compelled to speak up on behalf of the Massai girls. She began working to educate the Massai people on the value 's women bring to their culture. She went so far as to begin to rescue girls who were being sent off to be married. This courageous young woman put herself in very dangerous positions by confronting what was a deeply engrained cultural belief. By working with the Christian churches in the Rift Valley and using the power of prayer she was able to help the Massai understand that the traditions they had been observing were wrong. She came up with a plan to build a boarding school for girls to not only help educate the girls so they can become effective contributors to their villages, but also to offer protection from the temptation to marry them off at too young an age. Compassion's US development team was able to raise funds through the generous contributions of our major donors and several foundations that believe in the vision of Compassion's mission. I have had the opportunity to visit the school twice during various phases of construction. This trip will allow me to see it finished and to visit with the girls who are receiving the benefits the school is offering to them. I'll be filming interviews with the students, their parents and community leaders to put together a final status report and word of appreciation to the people who helped make everything possible. I think you can understand the significance of this trip.

That's why I'm especially excited about my trip Back to Africa. I hope this look into the unfamiliar of a group of people in a far away country will inspire you to pray for those less fortunate than us. If you're able, I would encourage you to sponsor a child living in a country that is trying to pull itself out of the grip of despair. You'll be amazed and blessed by the difference you can make...and the difference it will make in your own life, as well.

Back to Africa!

Ok...I'm really excited! A month from now I'll be heading back to Africa...Kenya to be more specific. This will be something like my umpteenth trip to Kenya. I'll be going to film the opening ceremony for a girls school in Najille that the ministry I work for built with the help of lots of generous people. It's a really big deal for the area the school is located in. I'll explain why in a future post, but for now I just wanted to share the news.

Woo-hoo! I'm going back to Africa!