DSJ: Web Presence Developer

I've recently started doing what I call "web presence development" for Connected Families, the ministry my parents started and work for. I call it "web presence development" because it's not as graphically focused as "web design" and not as technical as what you'd call "web development". I'm meticulously designing the elements of the web-presence, not a specific website's code. I inadvertently got prepared for this work by, among other things, setting up websites for my photography business. (JacksonArtsBlog.com, JacksonArtsPhoto.com)

Being the Web Presence Developer for CF is very gratifying for me for a number of reasons. Since my Peru trip in 2009, I have been interested in using the web to help people live better. My original vision for this was, to say the least, grandiose. A global network at least as feature-rich as Facebook but geared toward grassroots learning and action... it would bring connectivity to everything from the World Health Organization to universities to neighborhood Bible studies. Some time went by and, not surprisingly, I did not bring my grand vision to existence. There's more to that story, but what's nifty now is that on a MUCH smaller scale, I'm able to start doing that kind of work for Connected Families.

Ranging from training social workers to teaching Christian parenting classes to occasionally leading a family missions trip, Connected Families has a host of initiatives that might be greatly furthered by leveraging existing social sites (Facebook, twitter...) and creating new ones (DisciplineThatConnects.org/net). My original vision from 2009 was grandiose, but the underlying principle remains in my CF work -- do things that might have widespread positive impact on people's lives. The potential for widespreadness has always important to me, both from a personality standpoint, and a theological one: with the "feed my sheep" command comes the fact that there are many sheep, and they ALL matter to God.


In addition to the alignment of this work with ethical passions of mine, is the fact that it fits well with my skills and enjoyments. I'm a nerd, so I like the technical side. I have been / am a photographer, so I like the visual side. I'm a people-person, so I like the social-media side, as well as the group-collaboration side. Frankly, this is easily the most satisfied I have been in my work since my Peru journeys.


My work for them is fairly young, and much of it is still in design/concept phase. Not much has been implemented yet in the way of social networking; right now the only finished product is a fairly standard, albeit somewhat shiny, website. ConnectedFamilies.com

Although what's implemented so far is fairly basic, what's currently in the works is pretty exciting. I won't go into details (for professional confidentiality purposes... ha! I feel so grown up!) but I'll be excited to share more about developments as they arise.

Thanks for checking in, (sorry for not writing in so long!)

Daniel

Life, the Universe, and Everything

Had a lot on my mind and heart lately, and I still haven't figured all of it out yet, but I just have been feeling really thankful for the wisdom of mentors and books and scripture and all sorts of stuff. Here are two (seemingly contradictory) bits of book that have really spoken to me recently:

     Constant role-playing is disastrous. It works against women's good mental health, pushing them toward anxiety and depression. It works against women's sense of self-knowledge, leading them to focus on the externals rather than the internals. And it runs absolutely counter to the call of Jesus. Jesus called people to a consistency between the outer and inner person.
     Externals, like the religious practice of the Pharisees and the role-playing of the sweet minister's wife, have a way of deadening us to our true selves. Jesus' ministry was a wake-up call. Repent means pay attention, look alive!
     Jesus' call to Martha was a call to stop playing a role and climb off the pedestal. She could have gone on for years, just keeping her head above water in a domestic frenzy. Jesus saw beyond her activities and told her to stop coping.
     ...It is easier for a woman to remain in the roles than to step out of them.
     Why would women cheerfully accept roles? Because they provide a way to cope. In fact, one of the biggest problems many women face is their excellent coping skills.
     ...Oh yes, a woman can cope. If she packs her feelings down a little harder, does what duty demands and says no to self, she can keep going for years. But does she want to live her life coping, getting it right on the surface while her soul suffers? Or does she want to thrive?
     To thrive, a woman needs to be in touch with herself. She needs to respond to Jesus' call to focus on her soul and what will nourish it. Instead of pulling her roles more tightly around her, she needs to step boldly off the pedestal.  (from Balancing Act: How Women Can Lose Their Roles and Find Their Callings by Mary Ellen Ashcroft)


     The most important choice you make every day is your attitude. Your internal attitudes are far more important than your external circumstances. Joy is mind over matter. 
     A fascinating study done by Professor Vicki Medvec reveals the relative importance of subjective attitudes over and above objective circumstances. Medvec studied Olympic medalists and discovered that bronze medalists were quantifiably happier than silver medalists. Here's why: Silver medalists tended to focus on how close they came to winning gold, so they weren't satisfied with silver; bronze medalists tended to focus on how close they came to not winning a medal at all, so they were just happy to be on the medal stand.
     How we feel isn't determined by objective circumstances. If that were the case, silver medalists would always be happier than bronze medalists because of objectively better results. But how we feel isn't circumstantial. It is perceptual. Our feelings are determined by our subjective focus.
     ...I think there are basically two types of people in the world: complainers and worshipers. And there isn't much circumstantial difference between the two. Complainers will always find something to complain about. Worshipers will always find something to praise God about. They simply have different default settings. (from In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson)

If you get a chance, I highly recommend reading either or both of these books! Great food for thought.

Peace,
~Rebekah

Winter Weather

Contrary to potential appearances, this post is not about recent temperatures or precipitation. As Daniel and I were driving home to Liberal from my parents' house yesterday, about 20 minutes in Daniel looked at me and said, "Your weather is changing. You're getting all cloudy and stormy." And I was. I had noticed that morning that for some reason I just wasn't as happy as usual. Then, once we got in the car and on the road, I stared out the window and hardly said a word. I felt this overwhelming sense of dread. I'd had such a good time seeing all our family and a few close friends... we realized how much we missed them all, and that made it a lot harder to go back to being very far away. Similarly, it was wonderful to have some time to relax and recuperate from teaching. Both Daniel and I noticed a huge difference in my level of stress and my loving-ness towards him and in general. I did't want to go back to being tired and stressed and cranky at my husband all the time!

But, tried as I might to mentally put off our return to "real life", it didn't work (surprise surprise). The car kept going west, and that stack of papers and gaggle of beautiful, needy children kept getting closer and closer.

Suddenly, Daniel said, "Hey, did you see that?" I shook my head. "It was a hawk of some kind -- it was flying into the wind, but it wasn't moving forward at all!"  Instantly I thought, That's me!! That's my students! I struggle so hard, flap my wings so much, and we never seem to get ANYWHERE! I wallowed in that for a little bit before Daniel apparently got tired of waiting for me to speak and turned on the radio. I resolved to ignore it... but that wasn't the plan for me that day. I found myself listening deeply to the lyrics of the song that "happened" to come on:

Everybody falls sometimes

Gotta find the strength to rise

From the ashes and make a new beginning

Anyone can feel the ache

You think it's more than you can take

But you are stronger, stronger than you know

Don't you give up now

The sun will soon be shining

You gotta face the clouds

To find the silver lining

I've seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn't ever end

Even when the sky is falling

And I've seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That's what faith can do

Wow! Ouchies, God! You mean I should stop feeling sorry for myself as if my life is horrible? You mean I can do more than I think I can? You mean you'll give me strength to face the clouds and find the silver lining? Oh, right. I knew that. I was just being a silly mopey-face.

At that point I decided to just cry for a little bit. After I had calmed down a bit and let go of my crankiness, I figured that a better approach to my impending return to school was to plan out my second semester (rather than griping about it). So I spent the next hour and a half pacing out the next three months in my classroom. 

Anyway, I just wanted to share this because I'm feeling a little procrastinatory again this morning... but I here publicly affirm my resolution to NOT be a weepy mopey-face all the time and to FIND a way to keep facing the clouds, because the silver lining (aka the few kids I do really reach and connect with) is worth the bumps. And that's why teachers teach -- is to have those moments where you can tell that what you're doing is working and that you are able to make a positive impact on (at least some of) your kids.

Here we go. Round Two: Begin!


~Rebekah