Hey all,
I hope you don’t mind me always saying “thank you for your support” but, seriously — thank you for your support :-)
As promised, this is a first of many Behind-the-Scenes posts that I have committed sharing in 2025.
As I wrote a few weeks ago, this season has been a little rougher than usual and I still find myself sad as we begin 2025. That said, I found some joyful distractions, and making some adjustments has already helped unlock some energy and creativity.
Here are three adjustments that are coming up:
- A new anchor position: While the official announcement has not yet been made, as of January 1, 2025, I am taking on a role at a place near and dear to my heart and spiritual formation, Zephyr Point Conference Center in Lake Tahoe. Don’t let the fancy schmancy title of “Church Relations and Development Officer” fool you. My role will be to share this gem of a geographic and theological location with the church and, as you will hear, it is a straightforward and compelling story to tell.
- An actual team member: People have seen me fire my administrative team over the years due to their complete and utter incompetence. While a few folks have worried about my severe HR practices, most have understood that the “team” has been just little ol’ me. Well, that is all about to change as I am bringing on an actual Virtual Assistant. This has been a long time coming, and I am excited to see what this will do to alleviate some of the pesky administrative tasks that always seem to be hanging over me.
- Pause on the book thing: I am giving myself permission and encouragement to shed the pressures of being an author with another book in the pipeline. No one is as surprised as I am that I have written five books to this point, and, honestly, I am not sure if or when I will write another one. That said, I have paused one contract (and have returned the advance) and have many ideas still percolating. I am grateful for people's understanding and the opportunities that still exist, but I am just hitting [pause] for now.
These shifts will allow me to recapture some of the creativity and joy that I have had in ebbs and flows over the past decades. I still believe I have something to contribute to conversations about faith, culture, and life, so I want to give myself a chance to offer such things and make a little bit of a living along the way.
Three areas that I intend to tend to and foster moving forward are:
- a return to the airwaves: Sometime in the next few months, I will bring on Team Member #3 as a Podcast Producer. I miss the podcasting that I was doing with BRC & Friends and can’t wait to launch The Amalgamation Podcast sometime this Spring.
- a gathering of itinerants: after over a decade of trying to do this gigging and itineration thing, I feel like I may have some good counsel to offer folks who are also navigating this world. I will begin with a monthly offering and possibly convene a cohort for more intensive learning.
- a focus on substack: I will concentrate more on Substack for both Free and Paid Subscribers. I so love the platform (I’ll address controversies soon) and, since I drive in multiple lanes of musing, I will fully embrace the opportunity to share.
Okay, so there you go, your first Paid Subscriber BTS update. In the future, this may come in video form, but for now — thank you for your support!
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