Creative Threads. Jon Barnes

your name was brought up, and the one and only thing that you ever considered would be your future- imagine that no longer being “your thing.” It can be terrifying. But also freeing. Right now I want you to pause and ask yourself this question:

      If I didn’t have that “one thing” that made me who I am... who would I be?

      We’ll come back to that later. And if you feel like you don’t have a “one thing” that’s ok too. But let’s get back to my life-after-art-school and tune in to what happens next.

      When I was in high school my church youth group was always very important to me. At first my parents made me go and I had no choice in the matter but over time with the relationships, friends, and growth I experienced through a couple youth groups I attended, I really felt like the experience was essential in helping me become who I am today. As I was sitting there staring off into space wondering how to pick a future career and school path now having absolutely anything as a potential option I started to browse through Christian schools. I was browsing through programs offered at the Bible college closest to me in Maryland and suddenly a major jumped off the screen…. Youth Ministry.

      Not everyone has eureka moments like this. I wish I could say that through a series of sophisticated questions and self-exploration that I was able to ascertain that youth ministry was the clear and obvious career path for someone like myself but, well, it wasn’t like that at all. In fact, it was just one of those things that I felt like God showed me right there in that moment. Like magic. I know that’s probably not helpful to you reading this book looking for some advice on finding the right major and school but let me unpack what I think led up to this moment. While you can’t force a eureka moment to happen you can be ready to receive it. And this is how:

      Be faithful: You have to be true to who you know yourself to be and have had some practice in separating what others want and expect from you and what you decide in your own heart is important. There’s a second part too, the “faith” part of “faithful.” You have to believe that your “what’s next” will be revealed to you if your eyes are open and expectant. Have faith that the right door will be opened and be faith-ful to yourself and not simply what others desire for you. That’s the first thing.

      Be teachable: The worst thing in the world is someone who thinks they know everything and has it all figured out. Which is ironic because I’m sitting here writing a book that I’m sure is making the college and career finding thing look like a bunch of simple steps. Well, I hope that you’re picking up here that it sure wasn’t clear at the time and that I don’t have it all figured out now. But in this step I encourage you to be teachable. Be confident in your choices and what you know but be open to the possibility that you don’t know everything, you could be wrong, and there may be a smarter way to do things than what you already know. Even if this comes from your parents.

      Be available: Have you heard the famous quote that half of life is just showing up? I believe this to be true but ultimately, showing up still isn’t enough. You have to show up and be available. If you’re someone that loves to plan and be in control then you have to be open to things not shaking out exactly as you planned. If you’re someone that’s more laid back and kind of lets life happen then you need to be available in a different way. You need to be ready to jump when God says jump. Regardless of your approach to life you have to not only show up but also be available for a new direction or change. Out of the blue. If you’re faithful and you’re teachable then you can be sure that this will always work out for the best, even if the path is a little windy.

      I feel like at this moment of decision I was able to see this light bulb moment happen because I was faithful, teachable, and available. A lot of people didn’t understand why I wasn’t continuing on to pursue automotive design. They didn’t get it. Especially when I told people that I was going to become a youth pastor and switch my educational track from slick-car-design to bible-theology-studying. It just didn’t make sense. And I caught some heat from people that felt like this decision wasn’t authentic to me and my calling. But I feel like if you make a real change in your life, if you make a decision that’s going to count in the future for something, then it’s going to come with some friction. Not everyone will see it. Not everyone will get it. Others will try to talk you out of it. You’ll try to talk yourself out of it. You’ll go back and forth a million times. There will be a thousand reasons to consider.

      But you’ll know. I eventually did. Once I took a few steps that direction.

      Here’s how the rest of this story takes shape: I looked at the programs, knew that the youth ministry track was what I wanted, drove down to the school for a tour, filled out some papers, and in just a few weeks was setting foot on campus as a Freshman. Again. On one hand it was a bit disappointing that I was starting over again completely from scratch (ok, I did transfer a couple fine art credits). On the other hand I think my parents were really excited to pay substantially less per semester at this small Bible college rather than my ridiculously expensive elite art school. But hey, it’s just money!

      I started the program knowing no one at this school. Again.

      I began all the basic classes from scratch. Again.

      I didn’t know if I would find any close friends at this school, especially since the bulk of the students were commuters. But I did. In fact, tons of the people I met at school this first year I am still in touch with today.

      Here are my top memories from Bible College:

      I remember starting a “gang” called the Back Row Thugs (BRT). Our big thing was that we would park in the back row of the parking lot and turn our wheels left. Why? Just to have a thing. We even had membership cards. I even got them laminated. We were also a men’s accountability group who got together weekly to encourage each other and do manly stuff like go to Taco Bell.

      I remember when I really got to see how the original languages of the Bible worked and where they came from. The fact that the ancient texts were available, readable, and not that different from modern versions of Greek and Hebrew blew my mind. While I did terribly in my Koine Greek classes I did learn enough to be able to stumble my way through the text, grasp aspects of the original languages unique to the time, and be able to generate small group discussion questions to really help people grow.

      I met my wife at college. In Principles of Biblical Interpretation. I thought she was vegan. She wasn’t. On one of our first dates I watched her eat an entire rack of ribs with fries. I’m married to her now.

      I remember chapel services and having guest speakers come in all the time. This was great getting to hear so many different perspectives and experiences within the broader Christian story. I loved that we had guest speakers in who made us nervous, who were not from our particular backgrounds.

      The college I went to was the most ethnically diverse Bible college in the nation. It was a blend of every possible ethnic group you might encounter in the Washington DC region. I had classes with students of every age, ethnic group, income range, and life experience. I didn’t really appreciate this until after I graduated and realized just how much this opened up my perspective.

      I graduated, even with my less-than-optimal grades in Koine Greek. I look back on these times with fond memories and the friends I made then I continue to have today.

      Summary: Only you can know your next steps. Not everyone will get it and a little friction lets you know you’re taking a risk.

      Brain Dump: Was there ever a time where you felt like a decision suddenly became clear to you? Like a revelation or an epiphany? What was it like?

      How to get an internship

      Internships are huge. And not just to check the box for college credit. Whenever and however you can, you should take internships. There are two basic reasons why you should prioritize this over just about everything else. First is that you will have an easier time getting your foot in the door at a powerhouse agency or company as an intern than trying to apply as a brand-new graduate to their workforce. So forget about what they’ll pay and just get yourself in the front door. And once you’re in the door, learn all you can and soak everything up. It doesn’t