Chapter 5 of the Purpose Driven Life has some good things to say and ponder. I love the quote about our perspective at the beginning:
"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." (Anais Nin)
It's funny how perspectives change. I experienced what could be called a test last fall, when our ad sales hit a real low point. I had to lay off an employee, cut expenses, get rid of extra phone lines, cut my salary, my wife got a job, we went with smaller magazine page counts, and it looked like all that still wasn't enough. In leaning on God and staying in prayer, I found that even when I didn't know the answers or the future, that He was still trustworthy and a strong tower that I could run to for comfort and security. Even though I didn't apply for the job, there was mention of a new position at my church that I could pursue. That seemed like an unexpected show of provision from the Lord, as the question of, "How could I survive?" seemed like a simple task from God.
I also like the question, "What is your life metaphor? Is life a race? A journey? An adventure? What?" The answer does seem to explain a lot of behavior (or it should).
The Hard Music Sampler CD that we're doing for this next issue is almost full, which is nice; and the ad sales are looking good from this vantage point. This is the issue that we've broken sales records in the past with, which is probably because it's the "GMA Issue," which is present at the annual convention, and a lot of labels have big new titles to promote. The articles are coming together well. We're working on finally giving Ronnie Martin his props as a punk-like pioneer of a genre that often gets overlooked. We're talking to Zao, who as you know have had a dramatic history. And David's "On The Road" story with Underoath is sure to be great. He had a lot of good things to say about those young guys when he got back. And David also saw what he described as probably the best MxPx show he's ever seen -- and he's seen a ton over the years.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at February 27, 2004 08:41 AM