This is a little comedic video that we shot for our current series called Cow Tipping. The series might be deep, but the video’s aren’t!

This year is really shaping up to be fantastic. Honestly there is a lot to be thankful to God. The blog has been slow and my hope is to post at least two times a week moving forward, but I just wanted to share some celebrations where God has done some really excellent things.

1) I finally graduated, despite the fact I’m now trying to eye off a D.Min somewhere it was a huge celebration in March to finally walk and get my Masters. A seven year project finally was finished in November and I had the great joy in flying home and walking. That is a 7 year answer to prayer.

2) We are in the very final stages of buying our first home stateside. It is an incredible house and we both feel really blessed to be able to buy it. Hopefully in the next couple of days we can close and move into our sweet new home. That has been a 3 year answer to prayer.

3) I was invited to co-write a book with a lecturer in Australia. While it is still in the early stages stay tuned for a new book in early 2013, it will be on Social Media and Digital Culture. I am humbled to be able to “co-write” this project with someone who is far more skilled than me! That has been a 1 year answer to prayer.

4) Our sweet baby turns one in August. Ruby has been a constant blessing and we are both very much looking forward to celebrating her Birthday. We count each day as a blessing with her and we are really thankful for that. That has been a lifelong answer to prayer.

5) Reconciliation, we had the great joy of being able to contact a very old friend. It was probably one of the best moments of the year so far to be able to speak to a cousin that I haven’t spoken to in 16 years. My prayer is that we can build a lasting friendship and heal where it is needed. That has been a 16 year answer to prayer

6) Green Cards! We are in the very final stages of getting our Green Cards which is the hugest blessing ever. It is just a matter of time until we have the little pieces of plastic. That has been a 4 year answer to prayer.

7) A No.3 Book in the making. While this is still extremely early, there is a skeleton and a potential action plan for a new book this year. That is an ongoing answer to prayer.

8) The fog is lifting at work, the last 8 months of work has been exhausting and I finally feel like I am getting my head above water. It is such a blessing to have an incredible team to work with and I am so thankful for my lead Pastor Josh. Our Pastoral team is amazing and our support team is such a blessing. It seems like at COC we are all starting to emerge from an exhausting season into one where we can dig into what we love more deeply. That is an ongoing answer to prayer.

The theme, prayer works.

There is some potential for some new writing endeavors coming up really soon. Which is getting me really excited. I also know that there were some, ahem, mistakes made with my first endeavor into writing. So as I look to develop the number 2 book, and potentially start research for the number 3 book I thought I’d share some insights.

1) Make sure the title of your Book doesn’t share the same title as a Gay Romance Novel.

I need to be honest that “Unlikely Hero” seemed like a safe bet. I felt it embraced some good Christian insights, and wasn’t overt enough that I might appeal to a wider audience. It wasn’t until it was released that I decided to look at the other books that shared the same title. Sure enough there is a much more popular Gay Romance novel that shared the same title. I apologize to anyone who bought my book hoping to hear about the unbelievable tale of Brock and Eric’s blossoming romance.

2) Think intended audience, and where you want them to finish.

I never really had an intended audience. Which is a big deal, it affects your tone, quotes, references and just about every critical detail of the book. Not only that if you have no clue about what you want them to walk away thinking your going to find it hard to write the conclusion. Knowing what you want the reader to be thinking when they finish will guide the journey of the book.

3) Conclusions Matter.

It isn’t just the last chapter of the book, every chapter has a conclusion. Learning when to finish, and how to finish is important. Spend time thinking about how to conclude chapters, thinking about how they start is way easier. In a book you are going to write multiple conclusions and then a BIG one at the end. So you need to think about them a lot.

4) Followers/Readers Matter.

Why should I listen to you? Being Australian isn’t good enough. Even with a good message and great writing people aren’t going to read your book. I learned that the hard way and had to deal with some sour feelings. It was probably better to develop some kind of following/readership before launching into my book. Just because you have a lot of friends it doesn’t guarantee they are going to read what you wrote.

5) Awkward Abstract Covers May Not Work.

I still contend that my cover is amazing, the Artist who did it is amazing and his work is exceptional. It captures everything I wanted in the Iconic Image on the front. Just because you can’t figure out it is a balearic sling like the one David used, and sitting in that awesome abstract sling is a black smooth stylized stone. Just because the cover it minimalistic and the colors are an amazing bohemian mix of cool and you don’t get that….that isn’t my fault?! Sadly book cover aren’t an exhibition of artistic interpretation. Design a simple cover that people get, abstract illusions confuse people a limit sales, no matter how freaking cool the cover is.

6) Epic Fails still Help.

My book didn’t sell well, and I still have a sizable chunk of change to pay back. So the book was an epic fail right? Not quite. Because I now have a published book, that has been well edited and looks like something semi-professional it opens doors to agents and promoters. Just because your first book doesn’t sell well, it isn’t a failure. You now have something that showcases your ability. Which is a huge leg up over any first time authors, you now have proof you can write a book.

7) Online Sells.

I’ve sold more copies through online digital retailer, than physical copies of my book. People buy digital copies, so use something like book baby and sell a digital version, for $99 it is a cheap investment!

I probably have 100 more of these, as I think of them I’ll continue to post more!