Change is sometimes very hard for me.  For a guy who never likes to do the same thing twice the same way -- I am often at odds with myself.  On one hand I know what I like, and I know what works. But I get bored… easily, so I change.

At any moment there are a number of emotions running through a person's mind and body.  Some are fun and whimsical and some are deep and meaningful.  Big life questions are very revealing to the mixed emotions a person has rushing at any moment of time.  I have most often chosen the fun, maybe silly and irreverent, attitudes about approaches to life and different situations.  Here are a few answers to some Big Life Changing Questions that communicates who I am and what I am thinking, (at least on the days I answered these questions).

1. Are you happy about where you are in your career?
I have been happily retired since the year 2000!  I spend a lot of professional and personal time using the skills and networks I established while working, to volunteer for various organizations and ministries.

2. Which of your family members are you closest to?
My wife, then my children, then my brother. But I'm pretty close to some of my former students and international friends like they were family.Copy goes here...

I don't remember which summer it was, probably the summer of 1980 or 1981. But I do remember it was the third week of June. Maybe June the 19th, now known as Juneteenth.  I was working at KATV channel 7 in Little Rock as a photojournalist. KATV was a local television station but was associated or affiliated with the ABC television network.
 
Like all TV stations, our revenues were based on advertising, and the advertising revenue was based on audience ratings. Great strategy and effort were put into programming and content creation during those times of the year deemed more important than other times of the year because that's when the ratings were measured. Nowadays, ratings are measured every day. At the time, four months out of the year, the ratings were measured of how many people were watching what, and we called it the Sweeps.

Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.      Luke 2:52
When people ask me what “I do?”, I like to tell them “I’m a professional story teller!” I speak. I write. I’m a blogger, photographer, audio-recorder, rinse and repeat. I’ve worked as a broadcast journalist, photojournalist, speech writer, and a copy writer.

I’ve worked for publications,
         radio stations,
                   TV stations,
                            and advertising agencies.

Sometimes people think I'm a slow learner, and truth be told, I probably am. But as I planned my annual spring break mission trip with me and my students from Harding University, I learned a few things along the way that always made next year's trip a little easier.
 
One of those things was when we are enroute to our final mission site destination, we should fly from Belize City down to Punta Gorda where our mission was going to be.  In the past we had driven from Belize City to Punta Gorda or taken a commercial bus. That it's a long drive. But it's only about a 45-minute air flight.

"Take the Last Train to Clarksville and I'll meet you at the station... (open mic, fade the Music, Announcer voice) ...K-M-T-R is on the air!" Those were the first words being uttered over top of the first song to be played on the newest radio station in town sometime in the fall of 1985.
 
KMTR was a controlled carrier station (sometimes called a carrier current broadcasting station) originating from the second floor of Hurie Hall on the campus of the University of the Ozarks, in Clarksville, Arkansas. 

As the engines of the Delta Airlines Air Bus roared to life, the 300+ other passengers and I settle into our seats, the cabin lights dimming for takeoff from Beijing Capital International Airport. The local time is 4:00 PM, and the realization hit me: due to the 13-hour time difference and the 13-hour flight to Chicago, I’ll land at O’Hare International Airport at roughly the same time I left, 4:00 PM local time.

I recently read this book. It’s easy to read, relatively short, small pages, and big type. Here are some of what I took away from this book!

The Bible is full of stories about eating at a table together. The Table is the opportunity to share stories of our lives. The Table is the opportunity to be leaders of instruction, and to tell our family history.
The Table is where community is found and Identity is formed! The Table is where we find family, friends, and our very existence.

What is the relationship between a professor and a student in the University environment, especially at a Christian University?
 
How does a professor balance wanting to show care and love for them as you should, and also being distant enough to be their professor, mentor, advisor, leader and teacher? It's often not an easy balance.

My phone buzzed and dinged.  Seeing who was on the other end made me smile.  It was one of my former work colleagues. Leslie Doubleday Heizman was the Director of marketing for Arkansas Surgical Hospital in Maumelle, Arkansas. She was looking for an assistant, or a coordinator of marketing services for the hospital. I had an advertising campaigns class that had just completed an assignment capstone project for this same hospital. Leslie, knowing that I had graduating advertising in PR majors every year asked me if I could recommend an entry-level person for her, perhaps even one of the students who had just worked on our class campaign for the hospital?

When you don’t know the answer in a multiple-choice question always go with “c.” As a young person, I was never a good student.  Partially because I was a poor test taker.  I didn’t like the testing process because I didn’t think it was a good indicator of my knowledge or skill set.  Ok, maybe I was also undisciplined and lazy.  Simply put, I just didn’t want to do, what I didn’t want to do.  I graduated with a lowly 2.0 GPA. As I grew up and matured, I seemed to have bloomed and became a natural student, because I was curious, and wanted to learn more for my own benefit.

This is my story of finding Amazing Grace at Wheaton College!
When I worked in Carol Stream, Illinois in the late 90’s I often took my lunch break on the campus of Wheaton College. I would sit on a bench on their front law, use their library for some research on various areas for my work. I would even eat lunch in the Wheaton cafeteria, (and yes, Wheaton College had a GREAT Food Service in their cafeteria). After lunch I would often browse in their bookstore.

I love graduations. I didn't used to. I hated sitting on the hard bleachers in a hot gym for two hours, or an outside venue that should have been indoors. After all, I was only there for about two-to-four seconds of my loved ones name to be announced and to see them walk across the stage. Then I was done. Can we go home now?

The first moment of one day in the world, in the place where every day begins.
There is a Chinese Proverb that says, one picture is worth a thousand words. As a storyteller, words and pictures are the tools of my trade. This photo may not look like much, but to me, it’s worth a LOT more than a thousand words! Since I took this photo, I have contemplated this story so many times.