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Archive for March 2009

15
Mar

Jobs

On Saturday, I got some much needed good news. I got a job. It’s a serving position at the Rhinelander restaurant here in Portland. This is such good news for my wife and I, for so many reasons. Top two: 1) We can now try and catch up on bills and try and get ahead. 2) I got to quit my other crappy job.

I know quitting any job right now sounds nutz (especially for a family that is trying to catch up on bills) but this is a good move actually.

See, I was working at a photo studio in the mall. Very talented group of people, and I did learn allot from them. The problem has been the hours and limitations.

I do understand that in any retail environment, hours are the suck after Christmas (especially this year). At this studio, mine have been extra not there for quite a while now (like 4-8 a week). However, I have still been scheduled for 5-6 days a week, being expected to be available just in case they need me to work. Often times, I won;t know if I am needed until an hour or two before my start time. This means that any pick up work that I might have been able to get for that day is lost, because I might have to work.

Working at that studio also had one very large limitation (among others): the conflict of interest statement we were required to sign. Basically, I could only do photography outside the studio that was deemed by the company to not interfere with their business. Translation: I can’t really make money from my photography as long as I worked there. (Oh, and did I mention I was working FOUR HOURS A WEEK!?!?!) Resigning from that studio now frees me up to do any and everything I can dream of. And, since I have a steady paying job, I really can do some of the crazy ideas in my head without worrying about how the wife and I are going to eat.

Currently, I have a band photo shoot with Fenbi International Superstars on the back burner, as well as some weddings and various other photo shoots with KJB Design (a company I am freelancing for). I also can fully pursue on location family portraiture (which I LOVE doing). I’ll have some more photos up in my image gallery very soon.

Thanks for taking the time to hear my little rant. I owe you a cookie.

PS: the people of the Evergreen community have been so supportive and good to Sarah and I during this time of financial suck. They really do show us what it is to be loved.

13
Mar

JPG Magazine

My latest JPG Magazine submission.

I’m a (new) part of the JPG Magazine community. Basically, it’s a bunch of photographers submiting pictures, and the best of them getting published in the print edition of the magazine.

I’ve got a photo submitted in the ‘Zen’ category for the upcoming issue. Go on, have a look. If you like it, give it a good vote. Got something to say about it, leave a comment over there, or over here.

Thanks!

10
Mar

The Coming Evangelical Collapse

The Internet Monk (Michael Spenser) has a great article in the Christian Science Monitor (on-line and in print): The Coming Evangelical Collapse. It’s a great piece, really good food for thought.

His article (actually allot of his blogging) has led me to two conclusions:

  • I’m not ready to give up being an evangelical yet. There are some good things about this tradition that I think can and need to be salvaged from the “circus”: Gospel driven, personal experience of faith and conversion, a life transformed by the power of the spirit, being founded in the Bible not tradition. These things need to be celebrated and liberated from all the other crap. Everything else, the individualization of faith, the moralist thinking and culture war, idolizing the Bible, the lack of good kingdom theology (or good theology in general)… these things need to be thrown off and left to die.

  • I’m not ready to give up on the emerging church yet. I really think that there has been much methodological reform birthed from the this movement and discussion. But, I think that most of the discussion has become solely about our church methods and our presence in social justice. Good parts of the discussion, but not all of the discussion at all. There needs to be a re-thinking of theology, a theological reform. I believe that the emerging church discussion/movement can and should be the catalyst to that. And I don’t believe it’s too late

More on this later… when I get my brain a bit more ordered.