Vocational Model: Mickey Anders – Brightcove

Leave a Comment
Sep 9 2
  • The Fund for Theological Education

 

I’ve FINALLY edited my first interview from this summer. Without overburdening this post with details, I will quit writing and let Mickey’s story show why I adore him and his ministry so much!

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.368550&w=425&h=350&fv=allowFullScreen%3Dtrue%26initVideoId%3D1176627407%26servicesURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.brightcove.com%26viewerSecureGatewayURL%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.brightcove.com%26cdnURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fadmin.brightcove.com%26autoStart%3Dfalse]

Some basic questions:

Incredibly fun edit flow

Leave a Comment
Sep 7 0
  • The Fund for Theological Education

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I’m butchering my interview with Mickey during this editing process. (This shouldn’t be shocking, given that it was a 35 minute interview and the podcast entry will end up around five minutes.) I originally planned to use the interview to show a newly-fashioned model of vocation. To do so, however, would require my constant interjections. They would ruin the story and not let everyone else see why I adore Mickey and his ministry. Now, after listening to the full interview twice, I’m trimming unnecessary sections, but keeping it in Mickey’s voice. It’s hilarious to see the hairs I’m splitting on some of these words to get the concise story out of a relaxed, candid discussion with Mickey.

And don’t get me started on the music for the background. I REALLY WISH I had the expertise to compose background melodies to go with the pace and rhythm of Mickey’s monologue. Since I don’t, I’m falling back on a sub-par recording of an amazing guitar player: Chris Weiss. Chris is South Elkhorn’s music minister. He composed the piece, Cave Run Lake Song, while he, Mickey and I were sailing around Cave Run Lake in Eastern Kentucky for a Saturday morning and afternoon. There was only one other time in the summer I kicked myself for not bringing my audio recorder. Chris played the song the next day during communion, but it didn’t have the magic of the combined optimistic melody and the waves rubbing the side of the boat.

I’m putting the pictures with the audio later tonight and then sending the final video to Mickey and Heidi (my girlfriend) for editorial advice before posting it onto this website! -A

A Slow Return to Blogging

Leave a Comment
Sep 7 0
  • Church of the Holy Nativity, Clarendon Hills, IL
  • The Fund for Theological Education

It’s September 7th and I have no excuse. I’m finally returning to the blogosphere, but this time, I’m not using my own infrastructure. That’s right: the website I designed for myself two and a half years ago (and have subsequently redesigned every nine months) finally met its demise. No activity brought more comfort than disowning my “programmer’s identity.”

My FTE summer provided some difficult realizations about vocation, but that’s how I intended it. I realized:

  • Off-camera flash batteries are the best metaphor for the way I do summer and the way I live life in general. (1)
  • My computer programming world view harms my ministerial identity.Off-camera flash batteries are the best metaphor for the way I do summer and the way I live life in general. (1)
    • I recognized the harm through the little things, such as using the verb “is” over and over and over in my prose. The reasoning made sense once I realized that ‘identity’ statements in programming (ones using the = sign), i.e. 
      string message = "Hello World!";

      make up most of my syntax.

    • I recognized the harm through the big things, such as the insane amount of hours I waste programming alone, which goes against an essential aspect of ministry: connecting people. I can connect more people through other efforts in technology and (GASP!!!) even personal interactions than I can with my amateur(2) programming projects.
  • I am called to congregational ministry as a pastor and not as an Associate of Technology and Communication Ministries. Full stop. Thank goodness Mickey Anders demonstrated this through his subtle selection of “tech” projects during my time with South Elkhorn Christian Church.
  • The tension of taking too many pictures in a summer (currently at 9098) and still wishing you had good versions of certain memories is asinine fully understandable.
  • I have too much curiosity and I pack WAY too many suitcases to do tech. support for conferences as a full-time ministry. God has molded the perfect ministry to fit Don Wood’s vocation. Unfortunately it’s a vocation I share, but in a collection of settings I cannot share. That nuance will take months of occasional self-examination to discover the underlying reasons.

My plan for the rest of today and next week: I am compiling a couple of podcast videos that share Don’s and Mickey’s wisdom on their ministries.

Tonight I think a broke a rule; but I’m not worried since it is meant for self-protection. I went to a church meeting! Technically I’m not to begin working at my field education church until the school year starts. But we’re doing our stewardship drive for my first three Sundays … so Aimée wisely wanted me to see the entire process. Our first meeting tonight was SO productive; we were good stewards of the time — have no fears. The other five (Jim Massie, Val Birch, Mark Gault, Joanie Ward, and Aimée) are great brainstormers and even better pragmatists. The lessons from Holy Nativity are getting ready to blossom.

OH! And how could I forget?  Google finally put a Search box inside of Google Reader.  What took them so long?  😉

(1) More on this in a future post.
(2) This is the pejorative usage … my least favorite!