(typed on the iPad, please disregard any spelling, grammatical or punctuation errors)
This past weekend, I watched the movie Food Inc., a documentary about control of America’s food supply and the processes that are use to get our beef, chicken, and other foods to the grocery store shelves. Genetically modified food, e-coli outbreaks, chickens that don’t ever see daylight, and corruption with those that should be overseeing all of this. If you haven’t seen it, go see it. If you have seen it, then you know that you’ll never look at the supermarket the same way again. I had a tough time buying lunch.
How does this relate to my situation? Like the movie (but to a much lesser degree), I saw behind the curtain. I saw how the sausages were made so to say. Since leaving Bel Air Pres 3 weeks ago, I’ve have time to think and reflect on a lot of things. It was actually a mutual separation. They said I was doing great work but that I wouldn’t be a good fit going forward. So I was encouraged to resign but felt really good about it.
Technology and new media are not always synonymous with church after all, especially one that comes from a denomination that’s been around for 300 years. The funny thing is that I’ll most likely start consulting for Bel Air on some projects I’d been working on previously. Seems as though they still need me. By the way, it’s always good to leave on good terms. Note to future employers: you can call anyone on staff and they’ll have nothing but good things to say about me 
The week after my departure, I flew to Dallas to attend the Echo Conference, a tech and media gathering of church creatives. I was encouraged to hang out with so many creative people and see so many organizations that “get it”. The experience reminded me of why I left being my own boss to work in full time ministry: to make a difference in people’s lives, to work with people who are passionate about what they do, and to engage in the culture. It also reminded my of some the limitations that this path has taken me. Less pay, less opportunities for career growth, and conflicts with people who don’t want to see change.
So I’m at a crossroads. What to do next? Go back into the corporate word, start something new on my own, take time off and travel Europe, or go work for another large church? I think I can rule out the last one. It’s time for a change but I’m not sure what yet. The good thing is that I don’t have to make the decision right away. Maybe that’s my downfall too. Money saved up plus too many choices equals indecision.
I do know that whatever comes next, that I’ll go at it in full force. And that I’ll be more intentional about the path I take. It has to include creativity, doing something good in the world, involve technology, and people who are passionate about what they do.
Creativity: That’s a given. Having my design degree from UCLA has opened a lot of opportunities. I had the opportunity to be the design lead on a project called eGroove, the precursor to the iTunes music store. A while back when I was working at US Interactive, one of our clients (made up of music executives from a major label) had the idea of making arrangements with record label to digitize their music libraries and sell the contents online. Sound familiar? A big roadblock was that they weren’t able to license single track downloads, something Apple was able to do a year later. And while working at another Internet consulting firm, I worked on what became Movielink, the studios’ movie download service. I miss the days of being on the forefront of emerging technologies.
Doing something good in the world: This doesn’t mean moving to India and becoming he next Mother Teresa, but i wouldn’t rule it out either. I think a lot of big companies are starting to see the value of getting involved in socially proactive endeavors and how that involvement would make a difference and help their bottom line in process.
Technology: In the last couple years, I’ve seen how technology has brought people closer together. Twitter, Facebook, iPhones, Google… we’re living in an increasingly connected world. Others would say that it’s isolating more people apart. That’s true too but i believe technology should be a means to an end. Connections made online should lead to face to face interactions. We’re not designed to live alone. I want to help facilitate that.
People who are passionate: That’s how great ideas are incubated. I love working with folks who love what they do, who feed off the creative energy of others, in an environment where collaboration and teamwork is encouraged.
Maybe that’s too much to ask and I’m looking for something that doesn’t exist. But I’m optimistic that whatever comes next will be a good fit. I’ve found a lot of design and new media related jobs open, but only one so far that has gotten me exited enough to apply for it. It’s for a tech company thats doing some great things (I hope they get back to me soon). But if not, that’s ok too.
After watching Food Inc. as well as going through this season of transition, I can choose to stick with the status quo, or choose something different. Something better. Something life changing.
Tuesday morning, I got a tweet from JetBlue saying they’ve brought back their 
