Living the Dream

Living the Dream

Job offer

So, I've been unemployed for almost 4 weeks now. Not alot of work out there. Supposed to be collecting unemployment insurance but haven't seen a cent.

On the eve of accepting a job offer from Big Brothers/Big Sisters. It's only 30 hours a week but pays almost double minimum wage. Doing stuff that I already have experience with. Looking forward to working. Feels good to be wanted after the huge rejection from UPFD.

Been doing some sermon writing on the side. One titled - Bitter or better. The other titled - Wrestling with God. Preaching to myself? Nah, what gave you that idea.

Not too worried about money at present. That's kind of a nice feeling. Just accepting that God will work it all out and we have family and friends to help if things get really bad.

Ruh roh

Epic fail. Google it if you haven't seen the popular captions before.

So here goes. Haven't blogged in over a year. Partly because I was getting torn up in the process of Red Knights Fire Academy, University Place Fire Dept Day Academy, and finishing up the one year probation period on shift.

Almost made it and accomplished a goal I've been working at for a few years. Just one month shy of becoming a permanent employee with UPFD until I got fired this past Tuesday. (If you're not familiar with fire service unions, probationary periods, and politics, just ask for more info and I'll gladly fill you in.)

The official letter says: "There were areas of concern that were relayed to you during your probationary evaluations by your Shift officers. Though you had made some improvement, this progression was not happening at a satisfactory pace. Due to this lack of progression and inability to meet the expectations of your supervisors your last official day of employment with the District is January 31st, 2010. It should be noted that your attitude was always positive and professional. You possess knowledge and skills in many areas, but unfortunately, at this time you lack the overall fire service abilities that are necessary."

Anywho, now I'm kind of back to square one and wondering if I've been listening very well to God... if you read my earlier posts you can see what I thought I heard.

Feeling relatively good considering the circumstances. Maybe that's related to the unemployment insurance and food stamps that I may be eligible for. Not to mention the support of loving family and friends. But honestly, God is very reliable. Haven't been thru unemployment before but God has been faithful again and again. Can't wait to see how He glorifies himself through this short term dilemma. :)

Big News Big Post

Wow. I've done it. I've been hired as a full time firefighter down near Tacoma. The adventure continues... unfortunately I've had to resign my full time position as senior pastor at CTK Oak Harbor. At first it will be hard but after a short while it's a win situation for everyone.

Wasn't sure what the timing was supposed to be on the firefighter/ churchplanter dream. Sometimes God moves quickly at other times it seems he moves slow.

Just found this old blog from my ancient myspace account. It's referring to my part time/ paid on call firefighter position with the city of Oak Harbor.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Firefighter/EMT Yeehaw! I did it. Still have to get the "official" test results back but as of Saturday I'm now a firefighter/emt. Before I began the process I thought it would be a piece of cake. Towards the end it got pretty difficult. It took all my focus to complete it these last few weeks. It was probably because a couple of us enrolled in an EMT class during the last three weeks of Fire Academy. Bad idea. But I'd do it again if I had to start over. Some of you might remember that one of my goals has been to develop another career that God could use for a "tentmaking" opportunity in planting churches. I really felt God's hand these last three months preparing for this path. I never thought I'd be a firefighter if you'd asked me a few years ago but it's awesome and I love it. I've had several training moments that caused me to think about my motivation and whether I'd be willing to give my life for a stranger. It's easy to say you'd do that but to enter a career field where you could potentially face that decision any day seems quite different. I couldn't continue to be a firefighter and not pass this decision. It would be an ethical delimma for me to seek a firefighter position and not be willing to risk my life for another. Firefighting has really strengthened my resolve to plant churches. Church planting isn't just a game or the "cool" thing to do in church ministry. Now the stakes are higher. Brought a whole new meaning to John 15:12-14.

They left the corporate cocoon to blossom

Kind of lamo to post a huge article from somewhere else but I can't help but think about all of the similarities to church planting and 'leaving the ark' of the corporate church. It's definitely risky. It will probably hurt. But the freedom to 'be the church' and follow your convictions is amazing.

CNN - Big company. Big salary. Big sendoff.

That's the formula millions of American workers used for years to map their career trajectory. Conventional wisdom advised workers to land a job with a big company and retire with generous benefits.

But there's a new breed of worker who is making that formula seem as quaint as a VHS tape. They are the ultimate risk-takers -- they leave large, successful companies to pursue their own dreams even though the economy is reeling.

They are people like Jason Shellen, who resigned as Google's manager of new business development in 2007 to launch Plinky.com, a startup that's designed to inspire bloggers and users of social media sites. Shellen says he was getting complacent working at Google, despite the company's domination of the Web.

He says he decided to leave Google despite a shaky economy because he wanted to force himself to change.

"Being an entrepreneur is all about risk and innovation, not timing the market," Shellen says. "A good idea doesn't wait for the perfect time to emerge. The ability to build something new outweighed the need for stability."

Why leave a sure thing?

Stability, though, seems to be a rare quality in the workplace. Those who contemplate leaving the corporate cocoon can't help but pay attention to the constant news about corporate layoffs.

Their challenge: Why leave a comfortable position in corporate America when there seem to be so few?

Michael Rhim had to face that question. He says he was a regional vice president at TIAA-CREF, a company that provides retirement plans for nonprofit groups. He says the company had 5,000 employees, $400 billion in assets and 17,000 clients at its peak.

But Rhim says he started contemplating a change because TIAA-CREF's corporate culture was changing. He started talking with a friend who ran a consulting firm, and he started paying attention to his emotions.

"It was getting more difficult to get up in the morning," he says. "I wasn't enjoying my old job as much as I used to. The more I talked about the job with my new partner, the more excited I got."

Rhim left TIAA-CREF in March of 2008. He is now an executive at a new company, PRM Consulting, which has 25 employees. Now he does much of his own typing. He can't take clients to fancy restaurants. He even uses recycled paper for scrap paper to save costs.

Though Rhim misses the perks of a large company, he says he received a lot more in return.

"There's much quick decision making," he says. "I work in a culture where we are not afraid to try new things."

Shellen, who resigned from Google to start Plinky, says the large resources of a company can actually slow down the creative process. A person might want to invent a product, but small things like the name of the product end up being discussed in a committee.

"You don't find that in a small company," he says. "At my new company, Plinky, we sometimes dream things up in the morning and by the afternoon have it live on the Web. That never happens at a big company."

Greater freedom is also what inspired Vanessa Fox to resign from her position at Google, where she helped build Webmaster Central, one of the company's most successful projects.

Today, Fox is the founder of "Jane and Robot," which helps website developers ensure their sites can be found by potential customers, and "Nine By Blue," which helps businesses use online data to better understand their customers.

Fox says the challenge of creating something in an evolving space like the Internet was too great to pass up.

"As hokey as it sounds, there's more to life than money," she says. "As much as I loved working at Google, I am really enjoying the flexibility I have now, as well as the ability to really make a difference in the direction I choose to go in."

Planning your exit

Those who leave the security of corporate life should not do it without research and a plan, some say.

The notion of suddenly bolting a cushy corporate dream to follow one's bliss may seem romantic. But some who've done it say those thinking about making a change should make a frank appraisal of their talents and latch onto something unique that they have to offer.

Rhim, the retirement planning consultant, says he knew the IRS would soon change the retirement plans for nonprofit groups. He knew his expertise would be in demand.

"I sat down and put together a three-month planning process," he says. "I knew there was going to be a market out there where firms needed additional guidance."

All the careful planning, though, didn't remove his fear, Rhim says. But he discovered something remarkable. Once he committed to leaving, doors suddenly opened for him: People materialized to help him and amazing coincidences led to business opportunities.

Rhim, a devout Christian, says it seemed like his leap of faith was being rewarded.

"No question, it was a scary proposition," Rhim says. "But my pastor preached about when you do the right things, the Lord will bless you as he sees fit."

Yet Rhim says he knew he couldn't just lean on faith.

"If you realize that you have some skill sets that are valuable, you can market yourself accordingly," Rhim says. "If not, you're sitting there, waiting to see if you're going to be downsized."

Rhim says he's happy with his move. He sometimes misses having the muscle of a big company behind him, but he no longer feels he's being controlled by larger forces.

He may have to do his own typing now, but at least he is writing his own script, he says.

"If you allow yourself to have other people continue to dictate your future," Rhim says, "you're at their mercy."

Job Satisfaction in the United States

I read this article called Job Satisfaction in the United States and it made me laugh out loud. Apparently there was a legitimate survey taken by some folks from the University of Chicago and the results suggested that people are happier in some fields than others. Guess I have the best of both worlds. However, the survey is flawed at its foundation. Honestly, I think happiness and fulfillment in your career path has to do with understanding your purpose in life & God's calling for you. You could be a parade horse poop scooper and have the happiest job in the world if you realized that God wanted you there and you came to peace with that. Question to ask is why do people in certain fields feel more fulfillment in their career choice? Should have less to do with the career and more to do with the individual.
Can I get a witness?

Busy September

Oops. Missed my September blog so guess I'll have to post two in rapid succession to make up for it. September was crazy busy. One of the highlights was travelling down to Los Angeles to perform a wedding for a youth group kid from 10 years ago. Got to take the kids to Disneyland and got to go to my own disneyland called the Wedge. For someone who's life story sometimes feels fractured by constantly moving it's very enjoyable to keep connections with friends from the past. And always a real privilege and honor to perform these sacred rites for people. Very powerful stuff. Also a blast when the junior high kid from ten years ago that you used to play worship songs with happens to be leading the garage band at the reception and invites you to sing Journey with them. Partially sated and partially rekindled my desire to one day lead an 80's butt rock cover band.