Hard work

Sometimes you just need to buckle down and get work done. It is great when things can line up and you find inspiration to do your work, but sometimes you just have to work to get something done.

Christmas weekend at Highlands was one of those times. I saw people put in some serious man hours and develop a system that they had never used before to put together an amazing production.

All that hard worked paid off because people were able to see a clear picture of the gospel, and there is nothing better than that. However, that did not just happen by accident; many hours of prayer and preparation went into last weekend. God moved in a huge way, and all that hard work paid off to see Him work.

It was inspiring to see people come together for a common cause, and then see God do something amazing. I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of those service and I think we will see effects from this weekend for months to come.

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two tweeting doves: wallpaper

I made this wallpaper this afternoon as I was looking at the ice and snow in the backyard.
I don't have any holiday wallpapers, so I figured I could make one and share it. enjoy! -I figured some of my twitter friends would enjoy the twitter birds as well :)

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Define the Win

One crucial thing in any organization (or your personal work) is to define what you want to accomplish. Wanting to change what you are doing and actually changing it can sometimes be decided by defining what you want to change. It is so easy to be vague when talking about growth. "Well, I just want to get smarter, stronger, build a better team, or provide better customer service." Those are all beneficial things, but there is no actual way to measure whether you are on track or not. Defining a win does not mean defining each step, or micro-managing everything that happens. It just means that people are working toward a common and understandable goal. I am spending Christmas break working on design and communication. I have tangible goals, book to read, blogs to read, and videos to watch. I know what it is going to take for me to grow, and I am willing to work for that. Having a defined win helps keep your team (or you) on track to finishing, and may even enable you to think creatively while doing it. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

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taking a break

This time last week I on my way home from school. I was mentally ad physically exhausted from the semester an finals.

So, for the last week, I have been taking a break. I have been sitting, watching tv, playing in the iPad, playing guitar, and just relaxing. The added help of snow and ice gave me even more reason to sit and rest.

It is not that natural for me to rest. I tend to push myself into the ground and then burn out of whatever I am doing. That happened more than once last semester, but I am not going to let that keep happening. To stop it I just stopped trying so hard for a few days.

I hope now as I come back to working on different things over break and reading some books, that I will find a renewed sense of learning and motivation.

Taking a break is not my favorite thing to do, but I know that resting is also a crucial part of the creation process. I hope to see positive results in the next few weeks from my week off.

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the numbers

People love numbers. 

 $1,000 is better than $100. Right? 

Maybe, but with $1,000 comes more choices to spend it on, and I would go as far as to say that most people would not be more charitable with it. 

Luke 16:10 "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much"

Numbers can become obsessive. For the last few months I basically kept my facebook account active so I could push content to the most people. If I shared a link on FB, I would always get more traffic and page views. Then, I started questioning why that was even important. 

I realized I was only sharing things so people would read them. That is silly. 

I was also not consistent at all when I would share anything, and found myself falling into the flow of consumption rather than creation. But I kept my account for a least a month after realizing this because "I could share stuff with more people!" But, if I cannot be happy sharing content with a few people, then I will never be happy sharing my content with thousands. 

At the end of the day the masses do not define me, and they do not define you either. 

If I want to produce anything great, I know it is going to start with me being honest and sharing stuff whether anyone reads it or not. 

Now that facebook is gone, I interact with fewer people, and my number of site views has dropped like flies....but. I have written more posts and been more honest in the last few days than I have all year. Numbers will not define the success of my sharing. I am cultivating real friendships, and the ones I have online are only being strengthened. I have so much more room in my brain to think and give attention to other people because I am no longer obsessed with obscure numbers and online stats. 

Less can be more. 

Number can be useful, but sometimes it is also useful to wipe the slate clean.

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Complex vs. complicated

This is something I have been processing the last few days after watching some TED videos. 

One of the speakers put it this way. 

"A French baguette is complex, but a mushroom onion loaf is complicated" 

But of those are bread and both of those have similar ingredients, but one has a complex nature and the other is complicated.

 

Why? 

Complex ideas actually bring simplicity in the end.

Think about Apple. Many would argue that they are very simple in their strategy; they basically have a few notebooks, a few desktops, a few music players, and a few portable devices. The one thing that is stronger now more than ever is their branding. Brushed metal, glass, and clean lines could be used to describe basically all their products. What you do not see though is all the complexity inside those pieces of technology, and all the programs running in the background to give you a simple working platform. Apple is an extremely complex company, just watch one of the videos on how they make a MacBook or an iPhone, but what the user receives is simplicity. 

Complicated. That is not that difficult to imagine. 

I can give one example to sum it up in a few words...... DMV. The DMV is actually a very simple place in what they provide. You can get a license, renew your old one, or update information. Everything there has to do with cars and licenses, but somehow they have managed to make it a very difficult thing to navigate through. They have turned something that should be easy into something complicated. 

 

Complexity can have a unifying capability. Rather than dividing, it brings all the pieces together. Trends begin to show, and people actually see the big ideas inside of the complexity.  Complexity (done right) can bring simplicity and unity with all elements working together for a common goal. 

 

- A real life example of simplistic complexity: I am part of the Christmas presentation at Highlands this year and we had practice earlier this week. For this production there is a full band, click tracks, sound effects, intelligent lighting controls, videos, a set of monologues, other actors, and a video message. There are tons of elements being used, but all of that together brings a very simple and direct message.

Christ is powerful enough to change the heart of anyone. 

All those elements, all that "stuff" points to that message. It is complex, but it is simple. 

Posted via email from jameseaton's posterous

Complex vs. complicated

This is something I have been processing the last few days after watching some TED videos. 

One of the speakers put it this way. 

"A French baguette is complex, but a mushroom onion loaf is complicated" 

But of those are bread and both of those have similar ingredients, but one has a complex nature and the other is complicated.

 

Why? 

Complex ideas actually bring simplicity in the end.

Think about Apple. Many would argue that they are very simple in their strategy; they basically have a few notebooks, a few desktops, a few music players, and a few portable devices. The one thing that is stronger now more than ever is their branding. Brushed metal, glass, and clean lines could be used to describe basically all their products. What you do not see though is all the complexity inside those pieces of technology, and all the programs running in the background to give you a simple working platform. Apple is an extremely complex company, just watch one of the videos on how they make a MacBook or an iPhone, but what the user receives is simplicity. 

Complicated. That is not that difficult to imagine. 

I can give one example to sum it up in a few words...... DMV. The DMV is actually a very simple place in what they provide. You can get a license, renew your old one, or update information. Everything there has to do with cars and licenses, but somehow they have managed to make it a very difficult thing to navigate through. They have turned something that should be easy into something complicated. 

 

Complexity can have a unifying capability. Rather than dividing, it brings all the pieces together. Trends begin to show, and people actually see the big ideas inside of the complexity.  Complexity (done right) can bring simplicity and unity with all elements working together for a common goal. 

 

- A real life example of simplistic complexity: I am part of the Christmas presentation at Highlands this year and we had practice earlier this week. For this production there is a full band, click tracks, sound effects, intelligent lighting controls, videos, a set of monologues, other actors, and a video message. There are tons of elements being used, but all of that together brings a very simple and direct message.

Christ is powerful enough to change the heart of anyone. 

All those elements, all that "stuff" points to that message. It is complex, but it is simple. 

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Practice makes permanent

If there is one thing I have learned in the past few yeas is that practice does not make perfect. But it does make permanent

When I spend time learning about design elements and putting them into practice, I am able to create and stretch myself because I committed to learn.

When I practice music ad learn guitar parts, I am free to explore different tones, effects, and chord voicing. I already know the song so I dint have to worry about the notes and I can focus on actually making music.

I don't always love practicing, especially when it is for a class (like Spanish...). But I am thankful when I take the time to learn and practice because it frees me up to move past the rules and on to creating.

Cramming for an exam is not as useful as learning all year long. Playing music become much easier when I spend time with scales and chord theory. My mind thinks clearer when I read beneficial material, even If I don't need the information that very moment.

My goal in whatever I do is to make the things I am practicing permanent. Perfection is achieved in the fact that I am producing, not necessarily the outcome of what is produced.

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Practice makes permanent

If there is one thing I have learned in the past few yeas is that practice does not make perfect. But it does make permanent

When I spend time learning about design elements and putting them into practice, I am able to create and stretch myself because I committed to learn.

When I practice music ad learn guitar parts, I am free to explore different tones, effects, and chord voicing. I already know the song so I dint have to worry about the notes and I can focus on actually making music.

I don't always love practicing, especially when it is for a class (like Spanish...). But I am thankful when I take the time to learn and practice because it frees me up to move past the rules and on to creating.

Cramming for an exam is not as useful as learning all year long. Playing music become much easier when I spend time with scales and chord theory. My mind thinks clearer when I read beneficial material, even If I don't need the information that very moment.

My goal in whatever I do is to make the things I am practicing permanent. Perfection is achieved in the fact that I am producing, not necessarily the outcome of what is produced.

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Creativity

I love this song (and video) so much. Gungor plays with all kinds of different arrangements of musicians. Sometimes it is just a few people, a full band, or an orchestra playing with them.

I love their creativity.

We need more room in worship services to add creative musical and artistic elements. I hope more conversations can take place where we can talk about ways to let the creativity of the Creator show. I love that bands like Gungor are starting this conversation. Watch the video, and then let's keep the conversation going. 

 

 

 

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2 years

2 years ago from yesterday I got call from my mom. 

Kami and I had just finished our last cultural event for the fall semester and we were walking out of the chapel to the car. It was cold, much like it was yesterday evening here. I turned my phone back on as we were walking and saw I had numerous messages from my mom asking me to call her as soon as I could. Before I could call back, she had already called again.

I answered the phone, unsure of what had happened. Her voice was shaky and I could tell she had been crying. 

"James, I have some bad new. Bradley has...cancer" 

I was stunned. Kami noticed my expression (or lack there of) and asked what was happening. I relayed the message that I just heard. 

"Dang it". (I did not actually say dang it...) My mom just replied with. "I know..."

 

What do you do when your world gets turned upside down? Nothing like this had ever happened to anyone that close to me. Bradley was 16, and I could not think of a worse age to hear that kind of news. 16 year olds are supposed to be excited about high school football, driving, girls, and music. My mind was flooded with questions, and it did not help that I was 3 hours away preparing for final exams. I was equal parts confused, scared, and freaked out. I remember Kami asking me if there was anything I needed and anything she could do for me. 

I had no idea what I needed. 

 

 

 

That night seems like a dream. I remember it very vividly, but I almost remember it as if I was watching it happen on video from someone else's perspective. It is hard to believe it has been 2 years since we found out bradley had cancer. 

I honestly have had a hard time dealing with this, and an even harder time dealing with his death 3 months ago today. I am not sure what stage of the grieving process I am at, but I just wish I could cry. No tears come out. The only time I really cried was at his graveside service playing his guitar and singing over him and the people there. I think part of the reason is that I don't really know what to think about death. But another part is that I look back over the last 2 years and can see what God has done in and through Bradley. If I live to be 85, I am not sure I will make the impact for Christ that he made in 2 years. I am so sad he is gone, but I rejoice that Bradley suffered well; I think he would say his suffering was a gift from God, so that he might live richly in God's grace and mercy. 

In his death, Bradley did not show me how to die. He showed me how to live. 

Each day is a gift. He used each day to love others and be loved; he took the time to talk with people, even in his last few days in the hospital. 

I remember talking with Bradley shortly after he was diagnosed. In a spare bedroom at my grandparents house God told me this kid in front of me would do amazing things. He was not scared, in fact he was not even that concerned that he had cancer. He asked me if I thought he should be a Youth Minister. I told him that i thought it would be perfect for him. I look at the last 2 years and can see the best Youth Minister I have ever know. Bradley always said that he and my other brothers would always look up to me (even though they all are taller than me), but all I can do is look up to him. He may have been 18 when he passed away, but he might as well have been 50. 

God is good. 

 

 

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What will you create?

One thing I have been learning lately is the difference from creating and consuming.

The internet is a great manipulator of actual creation. You enjoy reading, looking at, and consuming what other people make and share.....and it can almost feel like you are part of that creation, even though you have no actual part in it. 

It is easy to become so excited about what others are doing that you forget to actually do something yourself. 

In light of deleting my facebook, I also realize that it will be of no worth if I do not fill that extra free time with something worthwhile. There is always a struggle between consuming a creating. 

One practical way I have been able to do this is called a Pomodoro . It is a technique where you set a timer for 25 minutes,, work till the timer goes off, then take a 5 minute break to check email, answer phone messages, etc. After 4 sessions you take a longer break, maybe 15 minutes. This allows you to do uninterrupted work, and stay connected with other things without having overlap. 

Using this method I get more done in one hour than I could have in 2 normally. This is how I work every day, and i have seen great results the last month or so. It is much easier for me to think of working for 25 minutes on something than the 2 hours it will take for me to finish the whole project. it is almost a way t

Everyone has to find a balance between creating and consuming. They are connected, but you cannot be doing your best work and be fully connected at the same time. It's all about balancing, and people's work you love the most are the people who have figured it out. 

What will you create today? Finish sending emails, finish an assignment (or start one you have been putting off for a week), or  finish writing a short story. Just create something. 

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On leaving Facebook, and other thoughts on distant empathy

 

We are human beings are obsessed with knowing "stuff" . Just look at all the books we have in store, things to do, cable channels for everything you can imagine, and the internet. We want to know. 

Check out the philosophy and religion section at Barnes and Noble and look at the books there and it is easy to see that everyone wants to sell you the answers to whatever you want to know. 

Television and internet are perfect for getting new to the masses. I bet you remember exactly where you were when the Twin Towers fell, or when hurricane Katrina hit. We all had the same experience, but most of us were not anywhere close to what happened. But because of the dispersion of information, we all felt the same thing.

Enter distant empathy. 

the idea that when we see a tragedy (or really anything that we can connect with) we give empathy to that thing. So, whether it is a natural disaster, or reading all your friends status updates, or watching the news, these stories and events take from out reserve of empathy. The problem is that we as humans were probably not meant to consume this much information and give away so much empathy. 

the result is scary when you lack empathy to actually give to people who are around you and part of your life. If you give it all distantly, little by little, then you don't have it to give to those you actually love and care for. 

For me, Facebook is the ultimate source of distant empathy. You don't need anyone to share anything with you, just look on their wall. That combination, plus the fact that I am a technology geek makes it a deadly combination. 

I am not suggesting that everyone get rid of their facebook, or any other site. There are great things that come from the ability to share things online. When my cousin Bradley passed away on September 3rd of this year, I was able to stream his service live for people to be a part of celebrating his life. Because of his caring bridge site, there are thousands of people who read his story from all over the country. Technology made it possible for 3,000 people to share in Bradley life celebration and story. 

I think being aware is half the battle. Understanding that the things you watch, the pictures you see, the information you read shapes you on every level is very important. I read a great quote in a book that said "shape your tools, or your tools will shape you"  

For me, facebook was too large to shape at the time being. I want to spend my time actually creating things that are of value and sharing them with others. I want to cultivate actual friendships, sit down and actually listen to people who are hurting and weep with them. I want to prepare for my marriage in May, and I want to spend time being still and knowing God. 

A digital cleanse was the path I needed to take. Maybe you need to do it as well. 

Or maybe you just need to put up some boundaries when it comes to virtual interaction. Maybe you need someone to change your password for a while and take a break. 

Will I reactivate my facebook account again? maybe. but for now I need a break from the noise.

I would love to have more face-to-face conversations with people. Let's go get coffee and talk about life. 

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