Thanksgiving Top 5 (2014 edition)

It’s a Thanksgiving tradition of mine to choose five projects from the previous year that I’m particularly grateful for. (You can see previous editions by entering “Thanksgiving Top 5” in the Search field.) These tend to be long posts because I have so much to be grateful for, but for Thanksgiving 2014 I am really going to TRY to keep the narrative as slim as possible. Here we go—

Thanksgiving 2014 Top Five Projects I was Thankful to Work On

~1~
Presentation Modules

I love Ed and Jan Kotynski. And their work. And their faith. And the stories they tell me about how God’s Word changes lives. And I love that they see the value I can bring to their efforts. This spring they hired me to hear their stories, witness their passion, ask questions, and then help them organize their experiences into a flexible collection of effective fundraising presentation modules. Thank you, Ed and Jan!

~2~
Presentation Collateral

I love it that Pastor Jason Perry recognizes me as a kindred spirit, particularly in finding ways to help disciples make disciples. When Jason led an intensive workshop designed to stimulate catalytic conversations among church leaders, he asked me to help create banners, workbooks, and “graffiti questions” like the one pictured above. Thank you, Jason!

~3~
Bible Study

Bob Martin is a former colleague of mine—we both worked at an international discipleship ministry during its glory days. So when he emailed me to ask for editing and layout help with a Bible study booklet, there was a sense of stepping back to a time when I was more personally involved in frontline ministry. It was good to work with Bob again. And it was good to work, indirectly, with people in Bulgaria who will gather around this little booklet to learn what God is saying to them in His Word. Thank you, Bob!

~4~
Rewire

John Eliason’s work style is different from mine, but his enthusiasm about what I do for him goes a long way. He sent me the manuscript of his book—Rewire—and he loved the layout I did, which incorporated elements of the style his cover designer had already developed. John graciously mailed me a copy of the hardcover book after it was printed, and it was fun to see it in real life. I appreciate John’s respect for my work, his repeat business, and his prompt payment. Thank you, John!

~5~
Political Website

When an old friend and colleague found herself too busy to help a political candidate set up the website he needed, she turned to me. I don’t know politics, but I do know WordPress, so I set up a basic site for County Councilman Dan Dernulc, using stock images and minimal content. When finished, I turned over the username, password, and other details to my friend, and she was able to finish populating the pages. By working together, we both got the job done, and we each could focus on the details we knew best. Thank you, Rebecca!

Thank you, all

My Top 5 list is never complete because it cannot capture all the interesting jobs, pleasant clients, and affirming experiences I have through LifeLines in any given year. So thank you, subscribers, commenters, clients, colleagues, family, friends, and followers for all the ways you enrich my life and work.

My Thanksgiving prayer for you is that your tables will be filled with more than you need, your homes will ring with laughter and love, and your hearts will respond by blessing someone else even more generously.

Amen!