Job Update #4 - final

Thanks to those of you who have plowed through these posts. This last update is the least specific. I will introduce it with this quote I heard recently:

I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. Henry David Thoreau

During my sabbatical (Nov 08 thru Jan 09) I decided to try my hand at a little writing. It had always been a long-unrealized dream of mine to get something published. While it definitely took some work on the front end to learn a few of the ins and outs of queries, writing guidelines and article submission, it has been a fun adventure. While none of my work will go down in the annals of fine literature, I will say that it has been a fun little rush to see my name in print. Editors have been gracious, readers have been encouraging, and the whole experience has motivated me to keep working at it.

What has been published this year (some of the links are listed to the right):

• Two articles published this year in Youthworker Journal, and I am contracted to write another one for the fall.
• An essay in the book When Kids Hurt by Chap Clark and Steve Rabey
• An article on Steinbeck and Faith in Provocations Journal, a publication of the Trinity Forum; I have another submitted to them that they are considering
• Regular columns on youthminblog.com
• I have been contacted by ymtoday.com and fulleryouthinstitute.org, both of whom have asked me to write for them.
• As mentioned in Job Update #1, I will be assisting the President of Eden Reforestation Projects in writing a book about creation care and environmental stewardship, primarily focusing on the huge need for reforestation around the world.

I agree with Thoreau. Head in the direction of your dreams. Don't count on those dreams for the big bucks (I think I have made a total of $250 from the efforts listed above....) but enjoy the opportunity to stretch, think, create, risk.

I close with some wise words from Dorothy Parker:

If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second-greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first-greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they're happy.