Early Lessons from a New Adventure

The first quarter is at an end and the second is in full stride within the first year of this project which we call the E43Collective. A project that a year ago, I would have had no idea how to fit it into my bloated schedule, but now I could not imagine my life without it. Through roughly 4 months of podcasting and blogging, I see not only the positive impact and potential of the project but also see the change that this endeavor has made on me.

The Idea Conceptualized and Realized

The idea behind what we have begun here at E43 is something conceptualized nearly a year before it ever came into fruition. Josh and myself have been desiring to engage in activities that seek to unify churches, in order to better reach our communities, for a much longer time than we have actively been trying to do something about it.

However, after some months of talking about the idea of wanting to do something of this nature, as a team, we settled on the idea of trying to create a podcast. Josh came up with the idea of creating a podcast that seeks to interview and converse with various different ministry leaders doing work both locally and abroad. The idea is something that is not all that prominent within Christianity or something that is prevalent within the podcasting scene in the realm of faith. The truth is that the Church around the world is full of stories and experiences that ought to be shared and discussed, and we want to help contribute to unifying Christians through giving a voice to those we have the ability to. This podcast would go on to become Raking Coals.

Raking Coals is not the only piece of content that we wanted to define or carry the E43Collective, which is why the second leg is important as well. I wanted to have another podcast in which we talk about the things that we like, are interested in, concerned by, and it would not necessarily have to explicitly discuss the Church or ministry. A clean and family friendly podcast where we get to talk about whatever is on our minds and interesting to us, providing a way in which we seek to engage with listeners, inviting them to reflect, learn, examine, and laugh along with us. This idea would go on to become the After Sunday Discussion.

While starting out two podcasts simultaneously might seem like biting off more than we could chew, it surprisingly works out quite well. The approaches to each component are so different and provides its own challenge that, in my opinion, it keeps us fresh and on our toes. 

Battling Weaknesses

For me, personally, if this thing was going to happen, it was going to be necessary for me to overcome a longstanding weakness that has plagued me for quite some time: Lack of follow through. For a long time, I have been bad at following through with ideas; while I am strong in coming up with new/different ideas and vision, I struggle in the aspect of follow through. So, the question I had to ask myself is, “Why is this a chronic issue within my own life?” If the E43Collective was going to happen it was going to require that the conception of a new vision does not just sit within my own mind, but that it comes into fruition. 

I have started books, blogs, videos, outlined programs, and many other things that never get finished. A big contributing factor to this has to do with the lack of initiative in scheduling time to work on said projects. Intentionality in scheduling time to work on E43 was the biggest difference in this endeavor, and it was this small discipline that was necessary in making an idea become a reality. 

Another component that gets in the way is that of fear. Fear of failure or ridicule. Thinking that the things I share might not be taken well, or just an utter waste of time. Not only is that an attitude that will leave us stuck, but it is a terrible way to exemplify Christ in our lives as Christians. Getting out of the pit that is the fear of failure and rather standing in the arena of a completed original idea, has been the most important part of this journey for me, to this point.

Not only has it been great to see what E43Collective has become, but working on it has made a difference in my own self-confidence and ability to independently create. What at a certain point in life, would have been a far stretch for me to do and be involved in, is now an integral part of my week and I look forward to every second I get to work on E43. 

The First Chapter is only just Beginning

If E43Collective can be looked at in the same way as a story, we see it as the prologue is wrapping up and the true adventure is about to begin. Now that the foundation is built we can begin developing and reaching the goals that we imagined from the beginning. 

Raking Coals is set to have some guests who will come and discuss with us their own ministry stories and experiences. As each person joins us, the hope is that we can expand the network of people who are familiar with the initiative of E43, and hopefully this will challenge people to better live their faith and find the right places in which God leads them to serve. As we have set out to create a laid back and honest environment of conversation, we hope to spread that into a variety of different places where conversation concerning Christianity takes place. We might not always agree on everything, but I think that it is important to agree on the most important thing, that Christ is Savior and we still harbor the responsibility in sharing that to the world, as well as helping to educate and grow other believers. 

We also seek to make the After Sunday Discussion a more prominent part of our identity. Not that we are trying to minimize our ministry related podcast (Raking Coals), for we do recognize it as our flagship, but rather that we want to have conversations around all the things that we enjoy. God has created a world full of wonderful and interesting things and we seek to talk about all the things that we are drawn to in episodes of ASD. We also want to begin receiving community input for ASD, allowing those of you who listen to suggest things you would like for us to share our thoughts or opinions on. There is so much potential with discussions that talk about all that happens around us from the perspective of a Christian worldview, and look forward to seeing how God can use that. 

My Challenge to You

At this point, I can say that the E43collective has been one of the most important and enjoyable things that I have done with my life, making me realize that a little bit of work and initiative can go a long way. So, with that, I end this post with a short and simple challenge: Follow through with the things in life that you have a strong desire to do. If you are compelled in life to start a ministry, a business, a non-profit, a small group, a blog, a podcast, a video channel, a documentary, write a book, or any of the other things that often stay trapped in the realm of ideas, I strongly urge you to begin trying to make those ideas realities. Approach it with responsibility and a plan, and there is a good chance you will see a different side of yourself. And may God bless your journey.