Are you worried?

Our store opens in 17 Days, 23 Hours, 7 Minutes and 43 Seconds. I've never opened a store before. We've had the kiosk a couple of years in a row now so I am not totally oblivious to everything that goes into it but a store is a lot bigger than a kiosk, a lot bigger. With a store you have to deal with construction and painting and shelving and floor and bags and more employees and scheduling and applications and...and...and...and....breathe....deep, deep breaths. Basically it's an overwhelming task. The other night I was sitting on the couch with my sister Sam and she loves when I fill her in on the store and our businesses so she always asks a lot of questions. Our conversation went like this:

Sam - When will all the shirts get here? I can help you fold, I am a really good folder T.J. - Hopefully they will get here the 25th of April, but it will probably be more like the 28th or 29th. Sam- Don't you open the 30th? T.J. - Yes. Sam- Aren't you worried?

That is such a key question at the forefront of my mind right now. "Are you worried?"

Worry and fear are such easy things to get lost in. They are two reasons that people don't do anything with their lives. If you let fear and worry totally consume and control you, your life will be meaningless. Our answer to the questions "Are you worried?" isn't just a question you need to think about when taking a business risk or big decision, it's a stance you take toward life.

I am not worried about the store. I could easily slip into a panic that could consume my thoughts and actions and the people around me but I have made the decision not to. I decided early in the store process to trust God. It's not an easy decision to live by but it's the only decision that will work. If you let fear and worry consume your thoughts, actions and words you will paralyze yourself to act out of fear.

Brooke and I have a really good friend that is only 15 years old. She seems more like 20 but she is only 15 and the reason that we are so fond of her is because she is fearless. She loves photography and wants to become a great photographer, so you know what she does?   She takes her camera out and shoots as many photos as she can of whoever will let her. Most new photographers are so scared of looking stupid that they never take any risks and try something new out of fear of looking stupid. So theses photographers slip into this "normal" way of shooting everything and become generic and plain while people like our friend have been out there trying and trying to come up with something new and inspiring. Now our friend might take 1000 stupid un-important photos, but then she could take 1 that could change the world, why? Because she's fearless. Now that's how I want to be. That's how I want to run my relationships and my business. I want to be fearless in the way I love people and customers. It may not be the way people have done it in the past but it's the way that I want to do it. I don't want to slip in this "business or life as usual" mindset because of fear and worry. I want worry and fear to take a back seat to ambition and faith and let God decide how far I can go because when we listen to fear and worry all we are doing is deciding how far we are going to go. Don't you think God might have bigger and better plans for our lives than we do?

Here are some awesome verses to read and post on your walls if you are constantly letting fear dictate your life:

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18

Something is Missing.

This past week I was in Chicago for the Story Conference. It was a great conference and this isn't a post about all the stuff that I took away. I am not very good at recapping things. For me it was either good or bad. And Story was good. It was 5am on Saturday morning and we were packing up our stuff at the hotel to leave for the airport. I just got out of the shower and was about to put stuff in my hair. I always take off my wedding ring to do this. So, I took of my ring set it on the counter and put the stuff in my hair. I kept getting ready, got my bag, walked to the elevator, got in the van and headed to the airport. About half way to the airport I went to play with my ring with my thumb, like I do 100 times a day, but this time was a different. My ring wasn't there. It was still sitting on the counter in the hotel bathroom. Instantly I was overwhelmed by the "feeling." The "feeling" is when you know that you've made a mistake and you know that correcting it will take time and energy. The "feeling" when your stomach falls out and you want to swear. So without thinking I let out a gasp in the van. The guys immediately asked what was wrong and we called the hotel. I gave them my address to mail the ring back and the hotel said they would ship it right away. As I write this post I am wearing my wedding ring. Everything worked out. So, if you have the "feeling" thinking I lost my wedding ring, fear not, I have it back!

It took about 3 days to get my ring back. For three days I was ringless. Every couple of seconds I was going to re-adjust my ring and realizing it wasn't there. It was all I could think about it. I felt like everyone was staring at my hand. It was missing and I felt it. It was actually all I could feel. I didn't realize how much it had become a part of me for the past 16 months of my life. It really got me thinking about the idea of something missing. It is such a unique feeling that you can't describe until your in the midst of it. We were created to be filled with the spirit of God, but because of our broken world we all live with the feeling that something is missing. Jesus gives us the opportunity to be filled with his spirit and to eliminate that missing feeling. It seems so obvious to me that people in our world are looking for something to fill that void. We consume and consume all that we can to try and fill us and nothing ever seems to work. Feeling like something is missing is so distinct and overwhelming. It consumes our thoughts, our actions and everything we do. I don't know where you are while reading this, but if you feel like something is really missing, deep down within you, I want you to know that the only thing that can ever fill that is the Spirit of God. Maybe you've heard that before and have resentment toward the idea of God and Christ, but I urge you to take a personal journey into the gospels and find out who Christ is and what his promises can do for you.

I've had my ring back for over a week now, but I am so much more aware that it's there. I think there are seasons of our lives where we feel like God is missing, but are we aware when he's not? Are we noticing the beauty, grace and love he has filled our lives with? Or do we only notice when something is missing? I find myself appreciating my ring much more which has helped me appreciate my wife much more. I think in the same way we can realize how glorious God is and appreciate every aspect of life that he's given us a little more.

Everything Is Relational

God's desire is for us to be in a relationship with Him. He wants us to trust, love and depend on Him and Him alone. In the garden of eden God walked with Adam, talked with Adam and had a relationship with Adam. Sin entered the world and destroyed that relationship, but God in all his goodness and grace sent Jesus to be a bridge to restore that relationship between us and God. God has always desired us to be in relationship with him, but also with others. In Genesis God said, "It's not good for man to be alone" so he made Eve. The reason I am saying all of this is because God wants us to be in relationships, with Him and with others, so why wouldn't he want the same with our businesses? Why are we quick to help a friend in need but slow to help another business in need? Are we afraid that if we help them they are going to surpass us and be better than us?

Brooke and I went to Las Vegas for WPPI and we got the chance to listen to the wonderful Dane Sanders who touched on this point by saying, "If we tell everyone our secrets we will have to find new ways to be better and if we all get better we all win." I love a lot of things about Dane Sanders, but what really inspires me is the way that he wants to make everyone better at being a photographer. There are a lot of photographers in the industry that aren't friendly. They don't like new photographers, they don't want to help anyone because they are afraid that if they do they will eliminate their own jobs. It's the same in the t-shirt industry. There is so much negativity on the blogs and forums out there because t-shirt companies don't want other t-shirt companies to succeed. They are afraid that if another succeeds that means they will fail.

I used to struggle with jealousy toward other clothing companies, but over the past year God has really been working on my heart to show me that if we aren't stingy with our advice and look to help each other, everyone wins. It all goes back to everything being relational. I don't think God has different plans for our personal and business lives. Our business should be another extension where we can express the love and grace of Christ to the world. We shouldn't be relational with our social life and stingy in our business life. We should look to bless the start-ups in the same way we look to bless friends and family in need. Being the light of the world is about using every venue you have to express the love of Christ, so let's start using our businesses to do this.

Imagine with me for a second if every Christian business owner looked to bless someone in the same industry that wasn't a Christian? Jesus says, "love your enemies" and I think that can translate to the business world as, "love your competition."

Self-Control is Not Optional.

Self-control is not optional, it is a fruit of the spirit. About a month ago I thought it would be a good idea to give up sweets for a month, so my wife and I did. Now if you know my wife you would know that this isn't an easy task because she loves chocolate. Also, if you know me at all, you know that I love Coca-Cola. I would rather drink Coke than eat any dessert any day of the week. I really love it, but I had noticed that there was some extra area around my sides that I didn't always have so I thought giving up sweets would help eliminate that and get me back down to "fighting weight." My wife, who is a total fox, just did it with me to show her love and support. Seriously, she is awesome.

So it's been about a month and it hasn't been the easiest thing. Through the process I've noticed two things. One, I really drank a lot of soda and ate way more sweets then I thought I did. And two, that self-control is hard. Throughout this month God has really been giving me a new picture of self-control. The phrase "self-control" appears in the Bible six times. It's most famous appearance comes in Galations 5:22-24 which reads, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." Now I won't claim I am a Bible expert but this sounds pretty straight forward to me and I am going to write it out in my own words and really emphasize the self-control part. All the other parts are important but I am just talking about self-control.

The fruit of the spirit, which you are given by God when you ask him to take over your life, is self-control. Self-control is not a spiritual gift, it does not come down like a lighting bolt and take away all your bad desires immediately. It must be practiced, it must be trained and it must grow, like fruit does. God has given you self-control when he gave you His spirit so stop asking for it over and over again thinking that it will come down on a cloud and engulf you, it won't. If you have a bad habit that you want to stop, start using the spirit of God that dwells in you to stop it. Stop saying "we'll pray about it" and start saying "God has given me self-control and with his spirit all things are possible and I will stop." I think we've gotten so wussy as Christians and if something is hard we give up and chalk it up to "trials" and sweep it under the table, when really, we should be using the power of the almighty God to help us quit what we are doing.

If your overweight it's only up to you to lose weight. If you bite your nails it's only up to you stop. If you look at porn it's only up to you to stop. If you are addicted to drinking it's only up to you stop. If you are a liar it's only up to you to tell the truth.

God has given us the free gift of his spirit to bless our lives and to live the way he desires, why don't we unwrap that gift and take advantage of the power it holds. I am not saying that addictions aren't hard to break and habits can be reversed overnight, but I am saying let's stop making excuses and start living the spirit filled, self-controlled lives that God wants us to.

In Philippians 4:13 it says, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Why aren't we using the strength? What are we waiting for?

It's been a month and I still want to drink a Coca-Cola more than anything. The desire is still there but the self-control, by the power and grace of God, is outweighing the desire. If you have something you want to quit or stop or not do as much it will take practice, it will take time, but it is possible. God will help you if you have his spirit within you, but you have to make the first step, you have to go for it. My practical advice is to tell someone, post it on facebook or twitter. Tell people that you are going to try something that will be hard and have them get around you and hold you accountable, support you and even join you. Take that first step, use God's spirit, practice self-control and your life will change for the better.

Busy, busy, busy

My wife and I are wedding and portrait photographers. Basically that means from May to August we are totally swamped with work. We also own and operate a clothing company. That means during the summer we hit the road and go to a few music festivals to sell our shirts. During the summer we are busy. This summer has been even busier than summers past. We have booked double the amount of weddings we had last summer and also doubled the amount of festivals we are going to. I just want to clarify something, I am not saying all this so you think that I am so awesome and such a hard worker. That is not the point of this post. The point of this post is this: Busyness comes, whether you are a wedding photographer or astronaut, busyness comes. I think that we have a very important decision to make in the face of busyness and that is "what matters to you?" I mean what really matters to you way down in your soul because it's now time to make some cuts. I've found that through this busy season I need to take time. Time to breathe, time to relax, time to love, time to pray, time to focus on how I can be my best. The tendency is to just dive into all the busyness and play catch up later.

I want to neglect a lot of things in the name of busyness. I want to neglect my relationship with the Lord. I want to neglect working out, relaxing with my wife, prayer, eating healthy, doing chores and I constantly have to stop and remind myself that I need to make time for what matters. I need to let God know that even in my busiest time of life that he is my center and strength. I need to love my wife through all the stuff we need to get done. I need to love myself, eat healthy and exercise because I want to live a long fulfilling life. I can't let busyness become my excuse. Busyness cannot become my idol.

One of my greatest mentors, Brian, told me one time that you don't want to be a frog in hot water. Here is what he meant by that: If you put a frog into boiling water it will jump right out, but if you put a frog in cold water and slowly heat it up the frog will sit in their until it boils to death. The point is that we don't want to slowly accept things we don't like in the name of busyness. We don't want to play catch up on the things that are important, because I think after all the busyness is over we will not be the person that we want to be. Take care of the things near and dear to your heart. Spend time with God, love your family, take care of yourself in the midst of busyness because if you can do it then you can do it all the time and if you can do it all the time your life will be better.