Of Meeting with the Wise: Part II

Well, I just spent about 40 minutes with David Platt and another pastor at Brook Hills, from the global team, Jim Foxworthy.  It was very encouraging and they had some great insight and affirmation for me.

Here is a little rundown of what I told them to start:

• I told them about the origins of Breakwater, and how we wanted to team up with our different abilities to start this media production company with a Christian focus, but how I've been wrestling with our purpose...as in, for me, I don't want to make a living off of giving people who are already Christians a cooler way to experience church.  While I don't know alot about what all this means, I know two things:  1) that God has given me a passion for film, and 2) that as a Christian the only purpose I have is to spread the gospel.  So naturally I want to combine those to realize the goals and dreams God has given to me in the last few months.
• I told them about the combination of things that has led me to this point:  going to Africa, reading C.S. Lewis, going to church here, the Leadership Summit that was at Bradfordville, and our own idea for our company.  And then I mentioned the idea I've been working through that has evolved out of that, for the organization that would do documentaries about international situations and campaign here to go back and help them start their own remedial organization to begin solving some preventable problems.  But also, I know how hard that would be, and how much I would need to learn.
• However, I also talked about how I feel that God has put this on my heart, a concern for the people overseas that we don't have to think about.  But also, he's put on my heart a concern for the inner city African-American community in the states, as well as, for some reason, a concern for celebrities.  It would be cool to take a celebrity on a trip with us, to have an effect on them while also helping people, because they have so much influence.
• Although it would be so much, and all of it would be difficult, I feel like God has called me to pursue them, and not to limit myself.  And I feel like it makes sense that way:  having so many obstacles in our way shouldn't prevent us from moving forward; that should motivate us to move forward.  Because then, we will have no choice but to trust in God's provision and not in ourselves, like we would in a "comfortable" setting.  And I know that's something I have got to work on, putting my trust in God.  (I think all three of us do).  But I want to find a balance between trusting in God and being smart about it, you know, doing my part.
• So from there, I asked for advice on how to access resources, since I'm willing to do that, and in essence, how to approach this from the beginning.  Because I am (and really, we are) at a place where there isn't much tying me (us) down, relative to say, someone in their 40s with a wife and three kids, saving up for their college funds and for IRAs.  While I want to have a wife and kids, and I want my kids to be educated, I think that God will provide what we need in His timing, if we leap out in faith.  We need to stop behaving as if there is nothing after life on earth.  So I dont' want to waste the time of my life where I can most easily resist the temptation to "be realistic."

So, to summarize, here was their response to me:

• Platt said, "First of all, 'YES' to everything.  Definitely yes."  And he encouraged us to think without limits.  Which was encouraging.  He was excited to hear that I've been wrestling with these things, and wanted me to really feel affirmed in what God has put on my heart.  So hopefully I can do the same for you guys...definitely know that if God has called us to something, and I believe that something to be much greater than we are imagining, then we have to be faithful, whatever that means.  Only then will we truly trust in Him, and only then will we really get to be a part of what He's doing.  Sounds better than 9 to 5 in a cubicle, even if it's making $200,000 a year.
• Then he encouraged me to keep talking with people, to call up or email people who are doing what I want to do, or who share the same passions that we have, and find a way to learn from them.  He said that's how he got to where he is now, because God showed him a person to learn from when he was getting into seminary, and that relationship is the reason why he's where he is.
• Jim Foxworthy ("Fox") is a really intelligent guy, who knows a lot about business and global ministry, and he mentioned a few organizations to talk with and try to network with and learn from, even piggyback off of if we have to, as an extension:  obviously, the International Mission Board, then Samaritan's Purse, Compassion International, and others.  Also, in terms of funding, there are a lot of foundations out there we might want to try to search for, like the Eli Lilly Foundation, who give away money every year for humanitarian projects.  Also federal grants would be a good road to go down (also mentioned in a previous post).  Fox and Platt were saying that there is a lot of money that goes untapped every year, so we need to do a lot of research on that (by "we," right now, I mean "I" so take a deep breath).
• But the thing I needed to hear the most, I feel, is that at each stage, we need to focus on what we can do at that point.  Right now, I need to research because that's something I can do right now.  And through doing what we know we can do at that point, we will be staying active, while also God will be opening up opportunities and ideas that we hadn't seen coming at all, through the people we meet and the conversations we have.  So like I told both of you guys before, please be talking with people, even if it's just your friends, about what we want to do.  And even if we just start with a website that has 10 videos for sale on it, we can have that going on while we continue building and growing and learning, until God shows us the next door.  But the hard thing is keeping the same passion and excitement we have now for 10 or 20 years.  So they challenged me to guard that passion, and to guard my heart.  So, just pretend you were in there with me.  Stay strong with that passion that we have.  Don't get too distracted, and I'll try to do the same.

Again, they both sounded really excited about this, and they want me to keep them updated on what and how we're doing.  Man, it was a jumpstart for me.  I needed it big time, because I've been really discouraged about my job situation here, and not knowing how I'm going to be able to accomplish any of this.  But I know what I can do now, and I am going to do it.  Be thinking about what you can do now, and then, just do it.  I'll challenge all of us.  Taylor, if it's just creating a basic logo, then let's get it done.  Luke, if it's just a matter of accepting that it's time to get uncomfortable, haha OK that's what needs to happen.  Let's all give God more credit than we have before.  I think that He has been behind this thing from the beginning...no, I know He has.  So He's going to do some awesome stuff.  But let's keep the ball rolling, and keep each other updated.

Let me know what you're thinking, dudes.  It's gonna be good.

Of Meeting with the Wise

Ok...so this Tuesday at 1:30 I'm meeting with my pastor to bounce some ideas off of him and ask about resources we might want to look into for networking, financial backing.  Hopefully he'll be able to provide some advice.  I will post more thoroughly afterwards.

Of the Red Sea

Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,

Where in spite of all you can do,

There is no way out, there is no way back,

There is no other way but through?

Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene

Till the night of your fear is gone;

He will send the wind, He will heap the floods,

When He says to your soul, “Go on.”…

 

In the morning watch, ‘neath the lifted cloud,

You shall see but the Lord alone,

When He leads you on from the place of the sea

To a land that you have not known;

And your fears shall pass as your foes have passed,

You shall no more be afraid;

You shall sing His praise in a better place,

A place that His hand has made.

                                    Annie Johnson Flint

Reminder

As an aside to the last post, let me just say that whatever we do, I want us all to be in it together.  I'm not at all giving up anything else we have talked about.  But I do maintain what our mentality should be, and that we should focus on how we can be different and spread the Gospel.

Of the Burden on the Heart

Guys...I gotta be honest.  I've been really struggling between what I still see as two options.  Before I go into all that, though, I just want to share a little bit from one of the most powerful church services I've been to, which was this morning.  Our pastor, David Platt, continually blows me away.  But the thing about it is, he's really just pulling straight out of Scripture.

Basically he asked this primary question:  "Do we really believe this Book?" (meaning of course, the Bible).  And he asked, "I mean, REALLY, do we believe it?"  He pointed out that there are "radical implications" if we do.  He referenced a couple of passages from Matthew and Luke that talk about the cost of following Christ.  So in essence, he was pointing out that if we believe the Bible and decide to give our lives to Christ, these passages tell us what that should mean:  Luke 14:25-35 and 9:57-62; and Matthew 8:18-22.

So being a true disciple, a true Christian, has radical implications.  Jesus tells us that to follow Him we have to give up everything we have (now I don't know if that means physically selling everything and living off of charity as you walk around sharing Christ).  But we do have to make Jesus more important than anything else that is important to us.  Over any responsibility we think we might have, even to bury our own fathers (which in that culture was an enormous cultural obligation, and is even still so now), we have a higher responsibility, a higher obligation.  And that is to Christ.  There is no denying that this is our primary reason for even being here, now that we have received salvation.  The Bible states that clearly.  But we continue to deny that.  We concern ourselves with security and comfort, when Jesus "had no place to lay His head."

He then asked:  "Do we believe what this Book says about the lost?"  Hard as it is to accept, the Bible is also clear on this.  Read 2 Thessalonians 1:7 and Revelation 20:15.  Scriptures like this are harsh to read, and sometimes we know in our heads that they are there, but in our hearts we deny that they can be true.  But again the Bible is clear.  Those who deny Christ will be shut out from the Majesty of God.  But as bad as that is, it is not just being shut out...it's the eternal destruction they face.

Also:  "Do we believe what this Book says about the poor?"  We know the statistics and all that stuff...but we don't have to think about those people.  "We are not inconvenienced by this extreme poverty because those stricken by it are not only poor...they are powerless."  And they are dying because of starvation and preventable disease.  

If you take nothing else seriously from this, please take this seriously:  "God measures the integrity of our faith by our concern for the poor."

I promise you, I know how this might sound.  I think the "fire and brimstone" preachers have missed some major points.  That's not what this is.  I'm simply convicted by what the Bible states clearly about our responsibilities as true Christians.  But God calls different people to do different things.  Right now, I just feel like God has made security and comfort an unnecessary luxury that I'm not supposed to focus on.

So anyway, blah blah.....why am I saying this:  I mentioned one of the times we were meeting that I had this idea to do documentary-style videos for a situation like the one with the pilots of MAF mentioned in the 2nd blog.  And we kinda just said that we needed more money and wouldn't be able to pull off something like that now.  But I'm kind of wondering if that's really true.  Perhaps that's just us talking, and without any trust in God whatsoever.  Speaking of which, I just saw this quote as a tag at the end of an e-mail...'Never hearken back to what you once were when God wants you to be something you have never been before.'  I swear, things like that keep popping up on me everywhere, like God is for real telling me something.  So just to refresh you on the idea, we would go somewhere like that, make a documentary, come back here and finish it, then show it all over the country at medical schools, churches and Christian organizations, make a website, etc...then after like 8 months take all the help we've raised back there to help get them jump-started on whatever the issue is.  Obviously, that's extreme simplification on that last part, I know there'd be a lot of logistical detail.  I just think it's the kind of thing we wouldn't have to do alone.  We could easily raise money to do this one time around, then after that, we could probably function off of our earned reputation with grant money or donations.  Shoot, who knows, maybe some big time millionaire would be so convicted he'd give us everything we needed.  I don't know.  All I do know is that we are given talents for the sole reason of using them to glorify God.  And as of right now, I don't know how else to maximize that.  But if we can consider this and refine it, maybe we can get something more efficient.

I know we already talked about it briefly, but I want to know what both of you think.  I'm not talking about throwing out the idea of doing business.  We may be able to do that as well, and this might only be a starter.  If you remember, one of the tips Jake gave me was to do some pro-bono work, because it's a great way to establish a reputation and get positive exposure.  And if we're going to do something like that, why not make it flippin' awesome?  Like doing it in Africa or China or South America?  And if you're worried about how we would pay for something like that...my trip to Africa was paid for completely by donations ($3000).  I feel like I might be able to enlist the help of David Platt for contacts, because he has a lot of experience with international missions.  But say, somehow, we are able to do one.  How amazing would that be, really?  Even if we only do it once, it would be life changing and so influential to meet people all over the country, while making a big difference for people who are powerless.

I don't know how it would work.  But because I feel like God has given me this vision, there's no need to worry about it and I should trust Him.  I'm going to try and talk to David Platt to get some advice.  Before you tell me what you think, really think about it.  Maybe God is calling you this way.  There's got to be some reason we all worked at East Hill those 2 summers, and have all expressed interest in doing media together, and that we all get along so well (not to mention I think we'd work together well no matter what we do).  Whatever the reason, it's got to have some implications for spreading the Gospel, so give me your thoughts and honest anxieties (because I have the same uneasiness).  No matter what we do, the Bible is clear about some things.  So let's figure out how we can obey God in doing it.

Really Creative Title Involving Thought

So I've been thinking...a lot. About work, about school, about Breakwater, about life. In visiting FullSail a few weeks ago, it really kind of hit me...I could be making a few huge decisions pretty soon. I just took a few days off this past week and really had a lot of time to myself driving all over the state of Florida. It was so helpful. I really recommend just getting in your car and driving somewhere sometime. It doesn't have to be to a certain place...just somewhere. And, if your looking for a cheaper option...just walk somewhere. I can't tell you that I have everything figured out after all that alone time, but I can tell you it will help you break down all the thoughts and simplify those thoughts into something you are able to view from an outside perespective. I have spoken to my parents for countless hours about what decision I should make, and of course they tell me...go for it. But it's not that simple. I have a life in Tallahassee, I've got future business plans, I've got a lot of decisions. I will say this though. My mom told me that if you want it badly enough, just choose to do it. Figure out everything else after. So I guess...take it as encouragement, or whatever you want to take it as...we all have a lot on our plates right now. Don't think about how successful we are going to be..right now...don't think about all that we have to do, don't think about disrupting your comfortable life. Think about what it is that God is truly leading you towards and go for it. Everything else will work itself out.

Of the Endless Seeking

Fellas.  I have found that there can be value in just talking to people about what we are trying to do.  The more we speak to people we know about it, the more they can offer help directly or point us to someone who can.

I had a brief but positive conversation with a family friend and a member of Bradfordville, Larry Strom, this past Sunday.  He is a proven businessman and a better person, and has been very generous to me and my family.  Taylor, I think you know him, or at least know of him.  Anyway, I just mentioned it to him in telling him my current status, and he wants to talk more with me about it at a later date.  Now if anyone could really help us get going in terms of some business operations knowledge, he's the guy.  He might even be a person who would be interested in investing in Breakwater down the road.  Who knows.  But Mr. Strom knows people.  And he could surely give us the kind of advice we will need.

So anyway, the point is, try and bring up the company with people any chance you get.  You never know where it can lead.

Of the Day of Enlightenment

Well I've spent the last hour and a half in conversation with my former roommate Jake Barreth, for some tips on the processes and needs for getting a business off the ground from scratch, from advertising to attracting venture capital investors to licensing to planning.

When it comes to getting licensed, our two best bets seem to be the LLC (preferred) or an S corporation.  Both have limited liability for us, and both are only taxed once, instead of in two waves like a C corporation (once for the business income and again for salary income).  The difference between an LLC (and we'll need to double check on some of this on government websites) and an S corporation is in accounting, as in we can take more deductions on taxes with an LLC.  So although I already knew somewhat that we'd want to be an LLC, now I have a better idea as to why.  Another important factor I'll look into is getting the name trademarked and our work copyrighted.

As soon as we can, we are going to need to get whatever equipment we need to start (mainly me, with video equipment...Taylor be thinking of what else you might need for website design), so that we can start making money as soon as we're licensed.  We may not even need to be licensed, as Jake seemed to think that occupational licenses may only be necessary if you're working out of a place that is designated only for work, whereas we would be working out of home.  Then we need to start doing as many small projects as possible to start building our name and reputation.  Jake recommended, as a smart future P.R. move, that we do some pro-bono work so that we can have our name out there in a good light and the word will spread.  An example would be making a free video for a children's hospital that needs to raise money, and distributing it wherever we can so they can raise enough.  It would need to be strategic, however, at the same time, without taking away from what they do...as in, we would need to find somewhere that we can gain a good bit of exposure, involving an issue a lot of people are concerned with.  One possibility which would be absolutely incredible, and could be comparable to the Invisible Children documentary would be going with the pilots of Mission Aviation Fellowship on their trips and filming the reality of the destruction AIDS is causing in Lesotho (where I was this past summer).  That might be something we could raise money for ourselves, and then bring back a documentary to spread the word about their ministry and how they need much more support.  We want to push a word-of-mouth expansion as early as possible, due to the time it takes for word to spread.

All during this time, we need to either have a finished draft of a business plan or at least be close to finishing one.  And we need to have a functioning website up at this point.  So, after we've gotten some exposure and have built up at least a small reputation (with evident potential), we can pursue serious funding opportunities.  Options:  1) Loans (NOOOO);  2) A personal line of credit from a bank, which would not be under the name of the business but one of us individually;  3) Federal grants (research needed)....Jake compares it to applying for scholarships--you just got to apply for as many as possible and you might get one or two;  and 4) venture capital investors.  Of course, we don't have to get all our money from one person or one place.  We might be able to secure a grant and have a venture investor, who knows.  We can ask for small commitments from people we know, for 6 months at a time, something like that.  But in order to do so, the business plan is priority one, with some previous work to back it up.

So, let's say we are going to pursue venture capital investment.  As a start-up company we want to pursue individual investors, not groups.  We can search for them on the internet, but there are as many scam artists as there are legitimate investors, so we have to know where to look.  Once we find someone, we want to make sure they are only interested in the return on their investment and not in having a controlling stake in the company.  This would all be handled through a corporate attorney, who would draw up the contract between us and the investor.  We would establish a set yearly rate of their investment that we would pay them back, and determine an end amount if possible.  Dealing with a corporate attorney will be expensive--probably between $500 and $2000 at the least.  But if all goes to plan, we'll already be on our way at that point and will make that back 10 times over quickly.  To attract these venture capital investors, the business plan is everything.  And it all will rely on certainties (as in real numbers, statistics).  We will need to know why churches and organizations will want to buy videos or hire us for web design, and have research on the amount of such organizations that want new media but can only afford a certain amount, which we will accommodate.  So we'll need a lot of information, but it will need to be concise in presentation, and we will have to be able to back it up with market research (ex. demographics).  In addition, a timeframe for the return on investment will be required, so that they are assured that we're serious.  A breakdown of what we're asking monetarily is also a must:  we'll need money for miscellaneous business/office costs, advertising costs, website hosting costs, living expenses (so they know we're pouring all that we have into this), and reserves in case things don't move as quickly as we would have liked at the beginning.  The business plan is so important not just for the investors, but for us as well.  Once we decide on our goals and our strategy to reach them, they must be put on paper in the business plan for ourselves.  Having it written out will be helpful in a psychological sense, and we should keep copies of it all over the place as a constant reminder and as motivation.

Once we can afford to start basic advertising, we need to design a cool postcard as a mail-out, which we can send to all of our potential clients.  Jake referenced a national company that can give us all the addresses we'll need, and even sends the mail-outs at discounted postage prices, and he will get me the name of that company when he finds it.  If we can, we'll need to address them to the worship arts/media person at each place.  The reality is that only about 2% of these mailouts will even be read, but if we follow up with phone calls to each one, that number of effectiveness jumps up to about 15%.  This 15% is the group we want to schedule meetings with, and we'll take them a little media kit and demo reel of what we can do, along with some additional information about who we are.  Again, once we make some deals, we want to push word-of-mouth at every opportunity, because everyone has some connections somewhere.

So with all that said...

We need to start doing work under the name of Breakwater as soon as possible, which means we might need to start thinking business cards.  And we also need to streamline our business, probably just to web design and small video projects (once the equipment is acquired).  Then we can start thinking about more involved projects, like videos for the International Missions Board and the Southern Baptist Convention in other languages, so they can be used over and over again in a lot of different places.  Just a thought, one which would be very effective for both spreading the Gospel and for our business.

One miscellaneous note:  Jake recommended a great book on advertising by one of the nation's top advertising exec's:  "Hey Whipple, Squeeze This".  It might be a good idea for all of us to check it out.  Libraries will probably have it.

Let me close by encouraging you with a challenge.  I know that in the back of your minds, somewhere, you're probably thinking that this will not actually ever happen, but it's just fun to think about.  If this is really something you want to do, you've got to fight that thought.  I have decided for myself that this is what I will be doing, in some form or another, so I'm not going to let it slip away.  As difficult as it sounds right now, if we just stay together on it and keep from being distracted as best as we can, we'll be at step 2 or 3 before we know it.  We're not going to be insanely rich for a while.  If you want to be financially safe now, that's what accounting and law and pharmaceuticals are for.  But if you want to do something out of the ordinary, and enjoy what you do no matter what it takes to get there, all it takes is deciding for yourself.    No matter what it takes, I will not be working an 8-5 desk job in 10 years.  I am going to be a founder of a company that is creative and a fun place to work, but is serious about its business and quality, most importantly for the value of reaching people for Christ.  Just imagine how in 25 years people will come up to us asking how we did it, starting from nothing after college and building into such a meaningful organization.  If we are decisive, great things will happen.  To reference a Biblical example, look at Elijah.  He stood alone on a mountain, surrounded by prophets of Baal.  He made a decision not to let the pressure influence him, not knowing what the result would be.  In standing up for God, in making a decision, a whole nation ended up following him.  If we can obtain that same inspired focus and decisiveness, we will be unstoppable.  So think about it and don't let me talk you into doing something you don't want to do.  But if you want to go for it...

Of the Joining of the Three in the Days of Old

So begins the life of Breakwater Creative.  From passion to vision to formation, the dream is becoming real.

Let us now stay true to the vision.