Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Interview

I drove to Vancouver yesterday evening, went to an interview today, and drove back home this evening. I live in Kamloops and it was snowing in the mountains. Needless to say I am tired. But I told this girl I met in the office that I am trying to blog every day. Then I realized I didn't blog yesterday or the day before. So, I'm sort of a liar. But I am trying. Anyway...
So I went to this interview. No, I don't need a job, I already have one. This interview was a part of the process of getting my accreditation with the organization I work for. It was a two hour interview with five guys from the org and driving home afterward, contemplating the afternoon, I thought of a couple of things regarding interviews that I thought I would share quickly before falling into bed exhausted.
First, be honest. I was honest with these guys when I didn't know something, when I had conflicting thoughts on a topic, and about my life before the organization (and no, I don't work for the mob or a crime syndicate - I work for a church). They appreciated my honesty.
Second, be prepared, but not over-prepared. That may sound like strange advice, but I think if you are overprepared you can be so focused on getting out all the information you know, that you might miss the actual point of the question. For instance, suppose they ask you what kind of tea you like to drink. The overprepared person might give them a short history of tea from China to India to England including all the major types of tea, the optimal growing seasons, brewing times, and health benefits, all without ever answering the simple question about what tea they like.
Third, be yourself. Again, I know, pretty basic stuff, but you'd be surprised at how often people go in to an interview and try to be who they think the interviewers want, and not who they themselves actually are. That is hard stuff to keep up for two hours. I'm casual, intellectual, and a little bit humerously cynical (does that sound like an add on a dating site?) That is who I was in the interview. I didn't try to be anything other than that.
This blog won't rock your world or tell you anything you can't find on a million sites dedicated to interviews and the interview process. It's just what works for me and I'm always looking for things that work for me.
My bed is calling me....

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Terrible movie

I watched "The Last Templar" last night. Not because I wanted to see it, but because I was bored and didn't feel like actually going and renting anything or searching Netflix. It was on T.V. so I watched it, commercials and all. It didn't start well, but over the course of two hours it actually picked up speed and I found myself mildly engaged with the plot and characters. Then it started to get good and I found myself wondering what they would find at the end of their quest. Finally they figured out where the treasure was (although they didn't know WHAT the treasure was), they got on a plane to head for Turkey to discover this treasure, unknown to them, the killer who had been stalking them the entire movie got on the plane with them, and then the credits rolled. I kid you not. It ended.
I wonder about my life sometimes. I had a slow start. I wondered if I'd ever make much of myself and at times if I'd even survive the current scene I was in. Over time, however, I picked up speed, got a degree, made some music, and started to think that perhaps I was going to be O.K. Now I'm working on a PhD, I'm the Worship and Arts pastor at a great church in a beautiful city in B.C., and I'm wondering what will happen next. I'm excited to see how my life turns out.
I don't want the credits to roll. Not yet. Unless, of course, we're talking about "the final credits". Then I'm all in, because, I know how this movie ends. I know what the big prize is. I know what I'll discover on the other side. This entire life will seem like a terrible movie. I can't wait for those credits. In the mean time, I'm excited to be part of the next scene in this movie. I hope you are excited to be part of your own movie too. More importantly I hope you are part of the bigger movie.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Have we beaten the uniqueness out of you yet?

Erwin McManus said 'somewhere between birth and death, the world beats the unique image of God out of each one of us and it is up to the church to nurture the human spirit (essentially that the church should be the place where people are free to find that unique image of God again). I don't disagree with Erwin on a philosophical sin/salvation level. The other day I had a conversation with a friend who challenged this mindset. This friend suggested that the world is the place that accepts and promotes individuality and creativity and that sadly, the Church is the one place where conformity rules the day. If you are "outside the box" then there isn't much room for you in the Church. I don't disagree with my friend on a philosophical practical/experiential level. I realize that this short blog will in no way provide any type of resolution to this contradiction. I also realize that I (and Erwin and my friend) may only end up creating more questions than we ever answer. That is a good thing. In the mean time, we need to dialogue about what it means to be an individual, what acceptance looks like, and what grace looks like.