Five Months In: Reflections on Miami (and Chicago!)

It has been a busy four months since my last entry in this series, but as I have a quiet Friday evening ahead of me, it seemed a good time to continue these reflections.

Miami feels like home to me in many ways. I have found my favorite coffee shop, the original Wynwood location of Panther Coffee (recommended by a colleague). I have joined First Miami Presbyterian Church and just started to find ways to contribute my skills in music and business administration to the church. I know my way around many of the neighborhoods and suburbs -- Brickell, Coral Gables, downtown, Little Havana, Miami Beach, Wynwood -- without the aid of Google Maps but with the aid of the great free trolley system. I have enjoyed a few different events at the Arsht Center and the University of Miami Frost School of Music. All told, I have settled well.

My work at Seraphic Fire has also been an enriching experience these first five months. Our last program of the 2018-2019 season, May's Peace in Music curated and conducted by our Associate Conductor James K. Bass, was one of the most beautiful choral performances I have ever witnessed. This month of June has been focused on closing the books on our fiscal year that ended May 31 and preparing for our audit next month. This will be the first time I have been professionally involved in an audit and I am learning a lot in this process, and likewise with many other projects and assignments that are providing professional growth opportunities.

In the last five months I have interacted with many of our dedicated board members and donors, as well as develop strong and mutually supportive working relationships with my colleagues (I know many people have personally difficult work environments so I am truly grateful for the blessing of having supportive and enriching work environments both previously and currently). It has also been a special and meaningful experience to get to know the Seraphic Fire artists, and feel nothing but mutual appreciation for our presence in the organization.

On the side, I have found ways to begin contributing my professional skills in service of my new community. In May and June I had the opportunity to serve as a grant panelist with the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. In reviewing the applications I learned a lot about some of the other arts organizations in the area and the panel discussion itself, my first experience of that kind, was personally satisfying.

All in all, this transition has gone well, praise God!

Even amidst all the successes of my work and life in Miami, I have not forgotten my original home in Chicago. I have been back twice now, briefly for Easter and for a longer stretch around Memorial Day, and both visits were refreshing. Needless to say I am grateful to live in a time with the communication and transportation technologies that make it easy to stay connected with my family and friends and former colleagues as well as with the Chicago area organizations that are important to me. And I will be there again next week for the Fourth of July! Hoping for a clear day in the Midwest so I can catch one of those beautiful views of the skyline on final approach, like I did on my arrival in May. I love being able to say that "I am from Chicago!"

With Thanks

By the end of the month, I will have fully completed the season of transition from my life and work in the Chicago area to my new life and new work in Miami. If you missed my reflections on what led to this transition, see this essay. I spent a few days in Miami two weeks ago, including two full days in the office with my new colleagues, and am very happy to say I really like my new team already, received a very warm welcome, and am excited for the point when I can devote my full attention to my new assignment.

But in the midst of packing and finishing projects at my soon-to-be former jobs, I would like to offer several words of thanks, to Calvary Memorial Church, to Wheaton College, and to Chicago. I am sure I have forgotten many important aspects of my experiences with each but what follows it what comes to mind as I reflect at this juncture.

First, to Calvary Memorial Church, where I have served on staff for over six years and where I have attended, with brief pauses when I was in term in college, for twenty. I am thankful for the communities I found in my junior high and high school youth groups and then later in my young adult small groups and friend groups. I am thankful for the opportunity to apply my music degree right away as orchestra director and then acting head of worship ministries and then ministry associate of worship and music, and then the opportunity to learn essentially a whole new profession through service as church administrator and then director of finance and administration. I am thankful for the enduring support and encouragement I received from the leadership, especially Pastors Caleb, Gerald, Jonny, and Todd. I am grateful for the members of the orchestra who gave me the gift of being their director for six and a half years, which to date is the professional role I have held the longest.

Second, to Wheaton College, where I completed my undergraduate education, met the woman who is now my wife, and have served on staff for over five years. For the rest of my life I will carry special memories of my undergraduate years, and I am grateful for all the lessons I learned both formally and informally, and including the ones I had to learn the hard way. I am grateful for the lifelong friends I made there among my roommates and others. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as a staff member in the Conservatory, the same department in which I studied. I am grateful I was part of the move to the Conservatory's new home, for the inauguration of President Phil Ryken, for the beginning of the CSO at Wheaton College series, and for endless unique and enjoyable concert productions. And I am grateful for my colleagues, my boss Tony Payne, my dean Michael Wilder, and for the many students I was able to formally and informally mentor and support.

And finally, to Chicago itself. I would not trade the experience of growing up and spending the first decade of adulthood in Chicago for anything. I am honored that I can call myself a native Chicagoan and Chicago will always and forever be my hometown. Chicago has institutions that are among the world's best, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where I was pleased to offer volunteer hours for several years, and given its annual visits to Florida, I know I can continue to be an active patron. And it has been a very special last few years to be a Cubs fan. I will be bringing my small collection of 2016 World Series Champion-branded swag with me to Miami, no question. Of course, Chicago is not perfect. No city is. But Chicago, you have incredible potential. You do not have to be defined by the heartbreak and frustration that has plagued you and that comprises most of your national and global reputation. There are so many people, seen and unseen, working hard every day to make Chicago a better place, and I am glad to have been part of that place for my first thirty years. I look forward to visiting as often as I can, and in between I will be ordering those frozen Lou Malnati's pizzas to be shipped to Miami!

So thank you.

Journey to Miami

At the end of November, I accepted an offer to the General Operations Manager for Seraphic Fire, "Florida's Grammy-Nominated Vocal Ensemble," in Miami. I will be moving to South Florida at the end of January.

It has been an interesting journey that led to this move and change of jobs. Certainly when asked ten years ago as a college sophomore where I saw myself in ten years, I would not have answered with either of the current jobs I am leaving or the new job I am starting, though that of course is not at all unique to me among my Millennial peers.

Quick background: I have a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in music education. I spent my first three years post-college as a middle school band director as well as side jobs as a church orchestra director and events manager for the Wheaton College Artist Series, with a little private trombone teaching and music supplies retailing along the way. Five years later, that church orchestra job has evolved through music ministry associate to church administrator to finance director, and the events manager job has evolved to production manager with a side of digital marketing. I have been now been part of four annual budget cycles and countless employee onboardings, vendor changes, and insurance claims in my church job (while still managing to keep up the orchestra directorship) and nearly fifty major public concert events featuring several Grammy winners and a move to a new music building in my Wheaton job. I just turned 30 this past October, and I am quite pleased with and immensely grateful for the breadth of professional experiences and opportunities I have had.

And yet, it was admittedly fatiguing to balance two demanding, events-heavy jobs, even though my bosses and colleagues at both fully recognized my obligation to devote half of each week's working hours to the other. So for several years I have been looking, with varying degrees of earnestness, to find a full-time role that would match by skills, experiences, and interests. It was a bit of a moving target.

At first, once I felt that I was not destined to be an active music educator, I found interest in the arts management profession, awakened no doubt by my work as the fledgling Artist Series production manager. So I followed arts management blogs and their respective job boards and have had probably dozens of at least first-round interviews with orchestras and presenting organizations around the country. Even had a few second interviews from time to time. Most of the roles I sought were in either the production or education departments of those organizations, thinking I was drawing on my experience as a producer and educator.

But then I had an interesting conversation with my then-executive pastor, Gerald, who was my immediate supervisor at church for almost four years until he moved to the senior pastorate this past summer. He affirmed my skills, and more to the point, giftedness, in financial administration and non profit management. And from that observation (which of course I recognized as true, I simply had never focused on that as a possible lead strength of mine), the thought occurred that perhaps I should look at serving in a finance management role with an arts organization.

And so that has been my main search in the last six months or so. Within a week of that conversation with Gerald I came across a very compelling opportunity to be the finance and administration director for a professional symphony orchestra, and was gratified to get all the way to the second round of interviews before receiving a rejection notice. But I kept at it. Late this fall I found myself interviewing simultaneously for two roles of that same type, one with a summer music festival and one with a Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble in Miami. I made it to the second round with both. But one made an offer first.

I have to pause here and speak again of Wheaton College, but in particular of my undergraduate education there. The professional music degree programs there are informed by the liberal arts context. As I have seen with stark clarity as I have accepted this new job, that liberal arts education ensured that I learned how to learn, and how to transfer my skills to different contexts, and have the potential to succeed in a wide variety of applied disciplines. My curriculum at Wheaton consisted of precisely nothing about the complex field of labor law, for example. And yet here I am as the human resources manager for a staff of 20+ at my church. Not a single lesson in four years about how to interpret a technical rider. And yet I have presented acts that came with technical riders running dozens of pages at Wheaton. And so forth. What I learned is how to learn those things that my eventual job(s) would require me to know.

And that, I think, is how I found my way, and flourished, in my two current jobs to the point where I am qualified to assume this new job, and of course to successfully apply myself to the new particulars of the new role. The view from this proverbial vantage point is as clear as it ever has been, and I see clearly all the pieces along the way I needed to be at this point to have this next step be available to me.

Of course, as I am a follower of Christ, I credit the placement of those pieces, and the fact that I took all the necessary steps along the way, to his grace and provision. The first few days after receiving the job offer were actually somewhat anxious, as the self-conscious part of me wondered whether I really had the skills I needed to succeed at my new job. But as I began onboarding and reviewing documents and files and conversing with my new boss, Rhett, I found everything was clicking. God has been calming my anxious heart, showing me that I have exactly what I need in the way of intellectual aptitude and the right hard-fought experiential knowledge, to succeed in this new assignment.

2018: The Year's Travels and Reading

This will not be a unique end-of-year post, except for possibly because I am combining two lists posts into one. Here I will recap the books I read and places I visited in 2018. I set a new post-college record for number of books read in the year at 14 (with two others started but never finished and two more in progress but will not be finished by year's end), and my traveling this year took the number two spot in my personal annual record number of miles traveled.

Books I read in 2018, in order of completion

Jeremy Treat: Crucified King: Atonement and Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Theology

John M Gottman and Nan Silver: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

Neil Gaiman: American Gods

Tish Harrison Warren: Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

Mark Vanhoenacker: Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot

Joe Biden: Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose

Elaine Tyler Mary: Fortress America: How We Embraced Fear and Abandoned Democracy

Robert Kurson: Rocket Men

Daniel Hill: White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to Be White

Christopher Potter: The Earth Gazers: On Seeing Ourselves

Daniel Coyle: The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

Mark Dillon: Giving and Getting in the Kingdom: A Field Guide

Kevin Kwan: Crazy Rich Asians

Jimmy Carter: Faith: A Journey for All

Juan Francisco Martinez: The Story of Latino Protestants in the United States

Places I visited in 2018, in order of visit

January: My fifth visit to Florida. Florida is Naomi's home state, and she and I went to visit her parents in Orlando for a late Christmas. We took a day to go to Disney World, enjoying both Animal Kingdom and Epcot.

April: I generally take the weekend after Easter Sunday off, and this year Naomi and I decided to visit Austin, first time for both of us. It was unfortunately unseasonably cold there most of our four-day visit but even so we saw and did a lot of Austin's highlights and also visited an old friend.

In Austin in April

August: For our second wedding anniversary, we spent six days in Vancouver, first time for both of us. We again saw and did a lot of Vancouver's highlights and had a great time exploring the city and surrounding area. Read my full travelogue in two parts.

Also in August was a quick weekend trip to Baltimore for a college friend's wedding. My first time to Baltimore, and we squeezed in a few of the local sights.

November: Back to Florida again for Thanksgiving with Naomi's family.

All told, it involved over 11,400 miles of air travel across eleven flight segments, the longest being the return flight from Vancouver.

Looking forward to more reading and traveling in 2019! What did you read or what places did you visit in 2018? Comment below.

2017: A Hobby-Based Look Back

My biography indicates that in my spare time I enjoy attending concerts, cooking, reading, and traveling, so to recap 2017, I will summarize my accomplishments in those areas.

Concerts

The irony is that managing concerts, as I do, sometimes makes it difficult to attend them. Nonetheless, I was in the audience for several concerts in the last year and a few in particular I really enjoyed.

In April I heard Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 5 Reformation, appropriate given this Reformation 500 anniversary year, as well as Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with Yafim Bronfman.

In December I heard the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under Nikolaj Znaider, perform Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. On both occasions I was hearing these symphonies performed live by a professional orchestra for the first time, and on neither occasion did they disappoint!

Over the summer I attended a couple performances at the Grant Park Music Festival in Millennium Park, including, in August, one featuring the Mariachi Cobre, which may have been only the second time in my life I had heard live mariachi music, at least in concert.

Cooking

Naomi and I are regular Purple Carrot users, and a few of the recipes we have gone on to reuse, particularly the delicious (and simple) red bean burger. We have been introduced to new ingredients and new twists on familiar meals. One of my long time favorite recipes, which I first learned when Naomi and I were dating in college, is a zucchini and kidney bean chili. I am also now very partial to the use of dates as a sweetener, though that is more for baking than cooking; my skills are very much still in the cooking realm.

Reading

I read eleven books from start to finish this year and read bits of some others, but I really do want to increase that total in future years. Three in particular are:

• John Bateson's Building Hope: Leadership in the Non-Profit World, anecdotes and experience-based advice on many facets of the non-profit institution
• Andy Crouch's Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, a compelling analysis of the ways power is often abused and how it could and can be used for so much good instead
• Christopher Gehrz and Mark Pattie's The Piestist Option: Hope for the Renewal of Christianity, an encouraging look at the principles of pietism and how they can inform most other traditions

Traveling

In addition to my home state of Illinois, I found myself spending time in Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Carolina, and Vermont this year. (I also changed planes in California but I am of the school of thought that that does not count.)

My visits to Hawaii, Oregon, South Carolina, and Vermont were my first times in each of those states. The Hawaii trip was Naomi's and my honeymoon in January to the island of Kauai, and it was very much the perfect time of year to go and an all-around enjoyable trip. I chronicled the Vermont trip in detail previously on this blog.

What's Next?

I already have tickets for two CSO concerts in 2018, we are due for our next Purple Carrot later in January, I have two books waiting for me on my desk to read, one of which I am sure I will take on our January trip to Florida, and after that who knows to where else I will take books for the plane ride - New Orleans and Canada are on our list!

I hope 2017 had many satisfying moments of those things you enjoy doing in your spare time, and that 2018 will have no less!

Thankfulness

On this Thanksgiving Day, some of the things for which I am most thankful (and surely this is an incomplete list):

• Naomi, my wife (pictured below)
• Ed and Becky, my ever-supportive parents
• Paul, my brother, Velia and Dorothy, my grandmothers, and my entire family
• Gerald, my boss at Calvary (and Todd, his boss and our senior pastor), and Tony, my boss at Wheaton (and Michael, his boss and our dean)
• Ana, Cassidy, Cheryl, Cindy, Collin, Danielle, Ellie, and Madison, whom I have the privilege of having as direct reports at Calvary and Wheaton
• My colleagues at Calvary and Wheaton, too many to name for fear of missing someone
• The privilege of serving on the staffs of these two organizations, and for all the invaluable kingdom-building work in which I can take part
• The provision of new facilities for the Conservatory of Music
• Friends from my college days with whom I can still talk by phone every so often, and the encouragement those calls are
• First-time visits to four states in the last year (Hawaii in January, South Carolina and Oregon in May, Vermont in July)
• The privilege of serving on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Overture Council Executive Committee with Erika, April, Danielle, Elliott, Haley, John, Jonathon, Kristin, Belinda, Claudine, and Jessica and our ongoing growth and success
• The generosity of many people, some of whom are at most second-degree connections, taking time to provide professional development advice
• Timely and helpful words of wisdom and counsel from Derrick and Gayle and Kirk
• The many thoughtful, reasonable voices, even with whom I disagree, speaking with charity and humility and using their platforms to inspire hope and determination in the midst of so much divisive, negative rhetoric
• The relentless, limitless, abundant, and undeserved grace of God

I'm thankful for Naomi, my bride of 15 months and counting, this Thanksgiving

Vermont Vacation

Last weekend, Naomi and I spent four days vacationing in the Green Mountain State, Vermont. It was the first time there for both of us. Naomi had registered to run the Mad Marathon, so we made a long weekend trip out of it.

We flew Southwest Airlines to Manchester Boston Regional Airport, New Hampshire, on Friday, and after lunch in Manchester drove to the Seasons Resort in Warren, Vermont. The Seasons was a quiet and convenient location to base our Vermont explorations. It is just 10 minutes driving from the start and finish of the marathon in Waitsfield, Vermont, and an hour or less from the other locations we visited.

The Seasons Resort, Warren, Vermont

The Seasons is about half a mile from the Warren town center, so after check-in we went to see the town. Warren has all of 1,705 residents, per Wikipedia, and the town center is, proportionally, a quarter-mile stretch along which one finds the real estate agency, the general store, the inn and restaurant, the post office, the fire station, the town hall, and one church. No stoplights. Very peaceful, and I enjoyed morning runs along the main street and through the adjacent residential streets twice during our vacation.

On Saturday, we went to Waitsfield (population 1,719, also no stoplights, but does have a busier and denser central business district) for packet pick up, where the race staff gave me some tips for the best spots to spectate, and the Waitsfield Farmers Market, which is also a craft fair and had samples.

That afternoon, we went a little farther up the road to Waterbury, Vermont, where we saw our first stoplight in 24 hours and visited the Green Mountain Coffee store and museum at the Waterbury Amtrak Station.

Sunday was race day! As an aside, the forecast had called for lots of rain over the weekend, but we had very little. A short shower here and there, but none during the race morning. After seeing Naomi off, I enjoyed driving around to the various spectator points and joining the other runners' friends and family members to enjoy a beautiful morning in the mountains of the Mad River Valley.

She's off!

3 mile mark!

In the afternoon, we went back to Waterbury to visit the Ben and Jerry's Factory, and have some ice cream. After, we went to Montpelier to stroll the main street and have dinner at the Positive Pie. I had a delicious burger and also decided who I would vote for in the next elections.

Ben and Jerry's Factory, Waterbury, Vermont

The party of deliciousness

On Monday morning, we went to Burlington, Vermont's most populous city, and the least populous city that is the most populous city of a state (Montpelier is also the least populous state capital city). We strolled the main outdoor shopping district and then walked over to and along the Burlington shore of Lake Champlain. Lunch was at New Moon Cafe, an indie version of the Panera Bread concept.

Lake Champlain, Burlington, Vermont

Tuesday we cleaned and packed and checked out and headed again to Montpelier to get coffee and tour the Vermont State House, which allowed self-guided tours.

Vermont State House

Then we were on the road back to Manchester for lunch at the Portland Pie Company and then over to the airport for our flight home. It was a great vacation! I highly recommend Vermont if you have never been.

Overture Council Completes Its Wildly Successful Eighth Year

A year ago today, I publicly (i.e., via Facebook) announced my appointment as Communications Chair on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Overture Council.

A week ago yesterday, I marked the end of the first year of my two-year term as the Overture Council marked the end of its wildly successful eighth year at our end-of-season celebration.

With obvious, bias, let me brag a little on what transpired in our eighth season.

Soundpost: Exploring the World of Composition

The Overture Council's signature program is Soundpost, a pre-concert series featuring guests talking about music from different angles each year; this year, from the angle of composition. We had such guests as musical theater and film composer Sam Davis, as well as CSO musicians, providing a unique exploration of music. These events are a key component of our audience development mission and we brought many new patrons to Symphony Center.

Civic Orchestra Pre-Concert

The Overture Council has an ongoing relationship with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, part of the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. We started a new custom this year of meeting for a happy hour before each Civic Orchestra concert and then enjoying the concert together. These were possibly some of the most-appreciated member-specific events, and a valuable perk of membership.

Membership Growth

We ended the season with approximately 150 members, a new high point, representing a diverse selection of Chicago-area young professionals.

Speaking of which, are you a Chicago-area young professional? Consider joining us for our ninth season! Annual dues are $50, we require a minimum contribution the CSO of $50 and attendance at two Symphony Center events, and that is all for great benefits including invitations to special events, ticket discounts, and more.

My Listening

I have done a handful of recaps of my reading on this blog over the years, and I have done a handful of concert reviews as well, but I have never done any report on my podcast listening. Probably because it has only been the last year or so I have actively listened to podcasts. But in any case, here we are...

There are probably ten different podcasts of which I have listened to at least a few episodes over the last year, but here I would like to highlight the three that I listen to regularly and attempt to hear every episode.

The West Wing Weekly

This podcast began in March 2016, just under ten years since the end of the Emmy-winning series The West Wing concluded its original run on NBC. The West Wing is without question my favorite TV show, having discovered it midway through its original run when I was a teenager.

The hosts of this podcast are actor Joshua Malina, who was part of the show's main cast for the last four seasons, and musician/composer Hrishikesh Hirway. Each week's episode focuses on one episode from the show, in sequence, and in addition to discussing the plot, production, and trivia of the episode, the hosts and their guest discuss related public policy and sociocultural issues. More often than not, an issue explored in the original episode of The West Wing is either still an issue today or else still relevant in some other way. Guests have included The West Wing cast and crew members as well as current and former real-life political, military, and NGO figures.

Listen to the 1 minute, 23 second intro episode, "0.00 Cold Open" for the hosts' explanation of their project.

Theology for Life

This podcast began just last December. The co-hosts are Ed Stetzer and Lynn Cohick, both Wheaton College faculty members. Each week's episode examines one of a myriad of theological issues, from the major timeless questions and creedal statements, exegetical commentary, comparative theology, and everyday Christian life. Highly relatable and gives a fresh introductory look at the different issues.

To date all their guests have been other Wheaton College faculty, but they've promised to have guests from other institutions and organizations as well.

Church Politics

This podcast began just this past May. The co-hosts are Michael Wear, who worked in the Obama White House as well as for the 2012 re-election campaign and is now a consultant and author, and Atlanta-based lawyer and political operative Justin Giboney. The first few episodes were groundwork, including two insightful podcasts examining the history and current focus and status of the Democratic and Republican parties, and thereafter they recap the week's political news and examine the issues based on their Christian convictions. Worthwhile listening for Democrats, Republicans, Christians, and those of other or no faith tradition all.

The podcast, presented by online arts and culture curator platform Forth District, does not (yet?) have its own website, but the first episode can be found at the Forth District website.

What podcasts do you listen to regularly?

Gratitude

On this Thanksgiving Eve, some things I am thankful for (surely an incomplete list)...

Naomi, my wife
Ed and Becky, my parents
Paul, my brother
Vel and Dorothy, my grandmothers
My extended family members
Tony and Gerald, my bosses at Wheaton and Calvary, respectively
Dr. Wilder and Todd, their bosses, respectively
My colleagues at Wheaton and Calvary
My student staff at Wheaton
The orchestra members at Calvary
My friends within the Calvary Young Adults community group
Wheaton College and Calvary Memorial Church, and not just in their context as my employers
My appointment to the Executive Committee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Overture Council
The Chicago Cubs, and their 2016 season
The precious, limitless, relentless grace of God

First Seven Jobs

Because who doesn't love being part of a trending topic? Here we go...

My first job was paper carrier for the Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest. My route covered the four blocks of East Avenue between Roosevelt Road and the Eisenhower Expressway. I walked my route every Wednesday for many years and received lots of nice tips every Christmas.

My second employer was the Park District of Oak Park, and I had three different positions over five summers. My first summer, 2006, I was a bike attendant for the pools, an entry-level position that was new that summer. The next year I was a pool maintenance technician, and the following three summers I was a facility operations coordinator, the shift supervisor for all the maintenance staff.

In between those summers, when I was a student at Wheaton College, I had two different jobs. I was a stage manager for the Conservatory of Music (to which I credit my eventual arrival in the arts management profession) for seven of my eight semesters of undergrad and an office assistant to Dr. Tim Yontz, the director of bands and music education and my major adviser, for four semester.

My first "career" job (and I am not counting freelance trombone performance gigs and a handful of private lessons) was Assistant Band Director at Hadley Junior High School in Glen Ellyn, a year with all the challenges of being a first-year teacher but one I overall enjoyed and am grateful for.

And those were my first seven jobs. If you've read my biography, and have now done the math, you will know that I am already at double-digits for number of jobs held. In addition to the three I have now (with two employers), I also worked for a few months in 2014 for Quinlan & Fabish Music Company. If the hashtag had been #firstelevenjobs, I would have just made it.

So there you have it, a narrative form of my resume!

Reading in 2015, Year-End Report

Being a graduate of a liberal arts college, I obviously enjoy reading books (pardon the stereotype...but it my case it is true!). One of my "soft" resolutions at the beginning of the year was to read at least one book per month. I managed eleven; I blame the slackening over the summer on the Chicago Cubs' thrilling season being so distracting.

In any case, here are the books I read this year, in alphabetical order by the author's last name:

• J. Mark Bertrand, Rethinking Worldview
• Dale Brown, Starfire
• Rachel Held Evans, Searching for Sunday
• Greg Forester, Joy for the World
• Michael Lewis, Moneyball
• Russell Moore, Onward
• Paul Nyquist and Carson Nyquist, The Post-Church Christian
• Philip Graham Ryken, Loving the Way Jesus Loves
• Patrick Smith, Cockpit Confidential
• R. C. Sproul, The Consequences of Ideas
• Paul Taylor, The Next America

And I still have the unread part of an ever-growing list of titles accumulated from my daily blog and news reading, so I am already well on my way to lots of reading in 2016. At least in theory...

Life Update, Fall 2015

Dear Readers,

It has been something like 100+ days since my last post here at The Rubio Room. This morning I started work on my annual Musical Advent Calendar (watch this space on December 1), but I really did not want that to be the first post immediately following the one from June, so here I am. And I actually do have a lot to share from the last three months, if you will allow me a personal post about some of the highlights.

Work at Wheaton College

The spring/summer saw the departure of two members of the Conservatory staff. Heading into the fall and the new school year, my dean, Dr. Michael Wilder, asked me to assume some of the responsibilities left behind. In addition to continuing my role as Assistant Manager of the Wheaton College Artist Series, with responsibility for concert production, the student staff, and many audience development and marketing tasks, I now spend some of my time involved with Conservatory operations and special projects. One of my recent projects involved coloring.

Seating Chart for the annual Conservatory Children's Concerts

Naomi visited!

Just before the new school year began, Naomi, my girlfriend, visited Chicago for a few days. I took her to her first Cubs game, and we also heard a Grant Park Music Festival concert with Kurt Elling, visited Oak Park's Thursday Night Out and Farmers Market, and spent some much-needed time together.

Naomi and I at Wrigley Field. Cubs had an exciting win that day!

Artist Series

Just last weekend was Opening Night for our 66th season. Camerata Chicago, with special guest Sylvia McNair, presented an all-Gershwin concert. It was a spectacular and satisfying evening.

Soprano Sylvia McNair waves good night at the end of the Opening Night concert

Music Ministry

Calvary Memorial Church recently called a new Pastor of Worship and Music, Josh Caterer. (I would link to his biography on the church website, but he is so new it is not yet there.)

Two weekends ago was the first time the Chamber Orchestra worked with him. It was a great collaborative effort, as we joined with Josh to lead the congregation in two songs, the classic "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" and the modern song "Behold Our God."

The Sanctuary Choir resumed rehearsals two weeks ago. I missed that over the summer, and am glad of the chance to sing in a choral setting again.

New Apartment

In the midst of a very busy September, I somehow found time, with the help of my dad, to move to my new apartment. Don, my roommate, and I really like it. Separate dining room, fireplace (albeit non-functional), bits of stained glass, enclosed back porch, and a lot of improvements made just before we moved in.

View of the dining room (foreground) and living room (background)

And there was so much more beyond those highlights in the last few months. I heard the National Brass Ensemble in concert at Symphony Center, followed the Chicago Cubs as they secured their first postseason berth since 2008, had the privilege of witnessing the wedding of one of my best friends, and began leading my small group.

Life is good, as they say. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Holy Week and Easter 2015

I am sitting at home, reflecting on a very satisfying Holy Week and Easter Sunday. As always, I spent a lot of time at my church, Calvary Memorial of Oak Park, over the last few days. I did not myself take any pictures, but I have plenty of images and moments from the last week in my mind. A few to share with you...

Last Sunday, Palm Sunday, we had the annual palm parade, with all of the children's Sunday school classes marching around the Sanctuary waving palm branches during the singing of Paul Baloche's "Hosanna." From my position in the audiovisual control booth, I saw every child walk past, all looking so excited to be part of the service.

Wednesday evening was dress rehearsal night for this weekend's services. We had a full schedule, and it was a very successful evening. I felt very good about the coming services at the end of the rehearsal. It is always satisfying just to see all the musicians come together in rehearsal and get a teaser of what the services will feel like.

Thursday evening was our Maundy Thursday service, a relatively new service for Calvary (this was only our third year celebrating Maundy Thursday). Seminary student and lay worship leader Erik Johnson prepared the songs and led our time of singing, and Nate Friedrichsen, our pastor of community engagement, gave a message focusing on the two cups: our cup, the cup of God's wrath, that Jesus drank for us, so that we could drink his cup, the cup of the new covenant. As I reflected with a friend afterward, I had never thought of it that way, and the image was helpful. The Maundy Thursday service had a great "family" feel, as it should. We celebrated communion at the service, and because we only had one service for that occasion, it allowed for informal and non-curtailed mingling afterward. I found myself at Red Mango with a few friends from the young adults' group after the service!

Friday evening we had our Good Friday services. I was the worship leader for the service, guiding the congregation through a liturgy of Scripture reading, corporate singing, and songs offered by the Sanctuary Choir. Gerald Hiestand, our senior associate pastor (our equivalent of an executive pastor) gave the evening's reflection, "Acquainted with Grief." It was a service of contemplation and commemoration, and I was privileged to have that leadership role in it.

Saturday, for me, was a work day. It was the day a few of us staff are at church, very busy getting ready for the following day. The redecorating and setting up for Sunday did not take long at all though, and only heightened our excitement for Sunday.

And then there was today, Easter Sunday. With my alarm set for 5:00 AM, I woke up instead at 4:45 AM, and found myself at church by 6:00 AM. I completed my walk-through and got everything open and powered up and before long the band, choir, and orchestra arrived for our warm-up rehearsal, and then it was time to celebrate!

It was, on the whole, a very good morning at Calvary. Everyone was in a good mood, the congregational singing (of classic Easter songs both old and new) was robust, the snacks were delicious, and by the time we reached mid-morning the sun was shining, dispelling the early morning cloudiness. God was praised for his victory in Christ. The resurrection, as Senior Pastor Todd Wilson said in his sermon titled "This I Believe" from 1 Corinthians 15, is God's "authenticating signature" on the life, teaching, and death of Christ. And we celebrated that signature in joyous fashion.

Such a great week. I was so blessed to be part of it. And, by the grace of God, I did not find any of it stressful or even draining, really. All by God's grace. Soli Deo gloria.

Millennials, Technology, and Compassion

I recently wrote a piece exploring technology, compassion, and the role each -- and could -- play in my generation, the Millennial generation. It was published this morning at Thin Difference, a leadership blog/website I follow. My article is a call to action to my generation, to use the technology we have to be compassionate. Please read!

My full, updated bibliography is here, or via the link at the top of every page on this blog (mobile users, please find it in the drop-down menu). Thanks for reading!

Reading List 2014: Year-End Report

In July, I reported on the books I had read in the first half of 2014. Here is the promised companion post, with the books I read in the second half, again in order of completion:

Joseph A. Michelli, Leading the Starbucks Way
Jeremy Begbie, Resounding Truth
Todd Wilson, Real Christian: Bearing the Marks of Authentic Faith
John Mark Reynolds, When Athens Met Jerusalem: An Introduction to Classical and Christian Thought
Ken Follett, Edge of Eternity

Not as many as I had hoped I would finish in 2014, but still an average of one per month. And I still have the unread part of that list I made a year ago, so I am already well on my way to lots of reading in 2015. At least in theory...

On Being Present

Yesterday was my twenty-sixth birthday. I had dinner with two friends, and one of them asked me what my goal was for my year of being twenty-six. I thought for a moment and responded, “I want to be more present.”

It seems simple, conceptually, but as most of us alive today know, it is very difficult, practically. I am no exception – I thrive on thinking ahead and planning and all of that. I think as human beings we are naturally drawn to what is ahead of us.

If that tendency manifests itself as hope, then I think we are on solid ground. But if that tendency manifests itself as a way of avoiding the current reality, and not engaging with the needs of the current time and place, then we may be missing the mark.

For example, Advent is approaching – it will be here in seven weeks. Advent is the season that I define as the season of hope. As we in the Christian church reflect on the hope of Israel for its promised Messiah, so we on this side of the Resurrection hope for the promised return of our King. I think Advent has always been my favorite liturgical season precisely because it resonates with my tendency to be forward-thinking, always making a plan and charting out the next steps.

I of course want to be hopeful for things large-scale and small-scale, from the things I have to accomplish on my next day at work, to my relationships with other people, to the long-term flourishing of the institutions I care about, and to my personal growth as a follower of Jesus.

I can overdo it, however – I speak from experience. If I have something I am eagerly anticipating on my calendar, whether in my professional life or my social life, it is sometimes difficult to focus on the mundane of the day to day.

But that “mundane” of the day to day is where Christ calls me to be. Not every day is going to be opening night or Christmas morning or wedding day or get-away day or launch day. But every day is a day when I can see the people around me – my family, my friends, my colleagues, and even the myriad of people I encounter for the merest sliver of time – and invest the mind, body, heart, and soul that God has given me to meet their needs. Every day is a day when I can, to borrow from the prophet Micah, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with my God. Every day is a day when I can, to borrow from the prophet Jeremiah, seek the welfare of the city where the Lord has sent me into exile. Every day is a day when I can sit at the feet of Jesus, like Mary, and learn how to follow him more closely. Every day is a day when I can proclaim that the Kingdom of God is here – here in the every day, here in the present moment.

There is work – Kingdom work – to be done today, and I want to spend this year of being twenty-six not missing a moment!