Joshfowler.net - Thinking it over

I’m Baaaaaaaaaaack!

joshfowler — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:15:04 +0000

Wow!!! After almost one year, it’s time to start this baby up again!!! My how things have changed in just one year… New job, relocating to Greenville, SC, and many other things that are coming down the pipe!

I can tell you right now that this is not going to be a very long blog post, but there will be many more to come…

I am back in the world of leading worship at church, and I have a big announcement to make: I am the new Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts at Relate Church in Asheville! Be looking for updates on my twitter account, and at the Relate Church Website. I am really looking forward to what God is going to do through the church, and the pastor, Timothy Brown.

Ok, I have got to go for now, but there will be more updates coming soon!!

Goodnight!!!

Vacation

joshfowler — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:58:54 +0000

So, my blog and I had a conversation tonight, and I learned that blogging right now is not productive for me at all. For some people it is a good thing, for me, it’s a waste of time. Now that I am working much more, my time away from work has become more valuable. I can’t waste it writing a blog that only a few people will read, or spend it doing something productive. So, I am not done forever, but I am at least done for a while. If I update, I will let you know vua twitter, facebok, and/or myspace. Talk to you soon, and I hope all who read this have a very happy and productive day.

Josh

Wow! Am I tired!

joshfowler — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 03:24:09 +0000

It has been a crazy week. I am very tired, and I seem to be discovering a new side of myself. A side that wants more out of life. A side that refuses to settle for less. In my company, I have found a great opportunity. An opportunity to grow, an opportunity to succeed, and an opportunity to bring ambitions to fruition. It’s an opportunity to accept a challenge. To push myself. An opportunity to evaluate and be evaluated. An opportunity to help others. It’s an opportunity to grow as a leader. An opportunity to invest, and be invested in. An opportunity to educate and be educated. This job is an opportunity to gain new friends, gain new perspective, and look beyond what is happening today, to what could happen tomorrow. It’s an opportunity to inspire and be inspired. To change and be changed. This quite possibly may be the best opportunity I’ve ever had. A good friend told me one time that the best opportunity is right in front of you. It’s true. I am super exited, and ready to grow. What is YOUR great opportunity this week?

Work is cool!

joshfowler — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:30:45 +0000

So yesterday was my first day of work at Dynamic Marketing Concepts, Inc. Let me tell you, this job is going to be right up my alley. So let me explain how this works. Yes, this is a marketing firm. Not an advertising firm. They don’t do graphic designs, rather they are hired by companies to help get new accounts. We are paid a commission for the first sale, and for signing them up as a customer. They figure if they order once, they will order again. Dynamic Marketing has “campaigns” that they do, or in essence a team of people who only sell one product for a specific amount of time. Right now, and probably for a while, I am on the IMS, or Innovative Merchant Solutions Campaign. IMS is a credit card processing company that many people are using to get cheaper rates than what they are currently paying. It’s sort of a challenging sale to make, but the cool things is that I am legitimately helping people save a lot of money in their small businesses. Not to mention, the pay rocks, and it only gets better!

So as I enter the world of sales again, I find that it is good to read daily. Not only for education, but for inspiration. This is the book that I am reading:

What good book have you read lately?

Oh yeah- If you read this book correctly, it takes a minimum of 270 Days. WOW

And thus begins a new chapter in my life.

joshfowler — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:58:15 +0000

To my friends, family, my old church family at Pinnacle, I am asking for your prayers. Today begins a new and exiting chapter in my life. I will be doing the very thing that I didn’t want to do after I moved to Atlanta. Today, I re-enter the full time work force. Not at a church or with a band, but with a Marketing firm here in Atlanta, Dynamic Marketing Concepts. Many of you know that I moved to Atlanta five months ago with the hope and desire of playing music full time. Apart from the will of God, there have been a few different things that have inhibited this from happening. First and foremost, I think it’s the economy. As a keyboard player, I am usually the first thing to get cut from a band, and the last thing to get added. Secondly, I haven’t been apart of the church I go to now for very long- 5 months; the time we have been down here. My church is intentional about creating great environments and using the best talent that they have at their disposal. Being that I just haven’t been there a super long time, as other players have, I haven’t received many chancess to play or lead worship yet, but opportunities are always growing. Some of you know also that I have been approached by a church to be their worship pastor. This is something that I am still considering, but God has not brought clarity to the situation yet, therefore, Susan and I haven’t moved yet. We are quite content serving where we are. Don’t forget also, that there was a chance that I could get a call back from Richie McDonald to play with him, but this too didn’t happen.

So you wonder… If I were asked by someone, anyone, “Josh, do you think you failed? Do you think you made a bad move by leaving your comfort zone and everything you knew to move somewhere to take a chance and doing what you love full time?” To that I would say absolutely not. I don’t believe I have failed. A pastor that I respect very greatly, Pastor Steven Furtick, said this- “It’s better to take a risk and fail, than to never take that jump, and wonder what could have been.” (That’s a Josh Fowler paraphrase.) So, I do not think that I have failed at all. I think that God is not through with me, and in some ways, he may be just beginning. Am I going to be doing the thing that I am MOST passionate about for a little while? No. At least not on a full time basis. Am I going to be learning a lot, and continue to be shaped daily by my creator? Absolutely! My journey in music and ministry isn’t over, and in fact, I’ll still be doing it part time with a few outside engagements a year. Right now, though, I have to focus on paying off debt. Debt is what has inhibited me from being able to do music in a full time capacity. Take note- God’s word isn’t messing around when it says that “The borrower is slave to the lender. You cannot serve both God and money.” It’s true, and nothing reenforces that point more that when you don’t have any work, but the bills still continue to pile up. Sometimes when you do something risky, you have to be able to not make any money sometimes, and be OK with it. Unfortunately in many ways, I squandered that opportunity in my late teens by making poor financial decisions. In retrospect though, it is going to be a good thing. God has already used me to be able to help some people with their finances, and for that I am grateful.

So for me today, it’s suit and tie. Sharp haircut. Clean shave everyday. Polished shoes. Big elevators, glass office buildings, new horizons, and new challenges. It’s stepping out of my comfort zone, to better fulfill the obligation that God has entrusted me with- to provide for my family. To my Pinnacle Family- Thank you guys for supporting me in making one of the scariest moves that I have ever made in my life. Thanks for enjoying my music, and putting up with my A.D.D. And to the staff there- Thank you for believing in me. To my the rest of my friends and family this is not over. I believe that one day, God will give me the opportunity to minister for him with music full time. It’s all about His time, for His purpose, in His will, for His glory, and For his renown.

Today, I ask for your prayers. That everyday in this job, that God will keep me from temptation. That as a businessman, I will be above reproach. Pray for me that I can set the standard, and that people can look to the guy who calls himself a follower of Christ, and they would see a good example of a hardworking ethical man who sets the standard in the way of drive, excellence, and achievements. I pray that I can be Jesus to people who don’t know him in the work force.

Thanks again for your prayers, and check back here daily for updates and creative thoughts.

For the Glory of God,

Josh Fowler

I just can’t stop laughing!

joshfowler — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 07:21:19 +0000

Please… For anyone who reads my blog… This really needs a comment!

He finally did it!!! (And a few other things)

joshfowler — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:12:06 +0000

Alright, your friend and mine, Jonathan Blaylock finally started a blog! You can check it out here. He will be sure to have some good thoughts on life, culture, church, and everything else. Jonathan and I have known each other for years, and it’s been a cool journey hanging out with him!

Also, I added John Acuff to my blog roll. His site is filled with stuff that everyone will enjoy, and, it’s hilarious! You can check his stuff out here.

Finally, Kristian Stanfill has released his new EP entitled “Attention.” It is awesome!!! Click on the link to get it in iTunes!

Kristian Stanfill "Attention" EP

Well, that’s about all I got for today. Keep praying for me about the car. Still no good news.

Josh

Should the banks be nationalized?

joshfowler — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:00:46 +0000

My good friend Mark and I were talking last week about a very controversial issue that not a lot of people aren’t really talking about, and haven’t really thought of. The banks have done a terrible job managing money. We bail them out (again) and then they give 14 billion in bonuses to top executives. Great plan, right? So here is a concept that I think is crazy. Only some people are held accountable. For example, last week in atlanta, a man steels some bubble gum from a store. He is caught on video tape, then goes to jail, over 35 cents! Yet we have no idea what the banks are doing, where there are no doubt some crooked things being done. Why can’t the banks be held accountable? What if the government took control for a while? They could put a limits on profits, control risk and spending, and monitor the big bonuses. I am a republican, and all about smaller government and deregulation, but what if we can’t handle the freedom? When I was teenager, I overstepped my boundaries and broke the rules. As a result, I was grounded and temporarily lost my freedom until I showed my parents that I could be trusted again. Do you think our freedoms should be taken away if we violate them, at least until we can show we can be trusted again? What if we applied this to the banks, and all the other political screw ups going on right now? What do you think?

Comment.

-Josh

Alright- Need your prayers… Really.

joshfowler — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:01:18 +0000

I don’t have the time or the energy for a long post. As some of you may know, my wife and I have done the Dave Ramsey plan to get out of debt. A few months ago, I wrecked my 91 Honda Accord, and didn’t have the money to get it fixed. Thankfully, I sold it for a little money, and saved up some more money to be able to buy another junker to get us by until we get out of debt. I found what seemed to be a good deal. An 88 Mazda 323 with a great engine, reasonably low miles for it’s age, new tires, and everything worked great. I test drove it… Worked Great!!! Paid the $800 that I negotiated, and was driving home. That is, until the transmission fell out, less than two hours ago. I called the seller back, and he said he would fix it, yet somehow I don’t believe him. This was the last of Susan and I’s savings. I am quite uneasy and very worried. And for any of my christian friends who read this, I don’t need to be reminded that I am “more than a conquerer,” that “all things work together for good for those who love the lord,” and to read Matthew 6:25-34. I have and I have considered the birds. Yet, I am still worried. Sorry. I don’t worry much, but I am now. I hope that I didn’t get ripped off. I really need this car for work, and I am tired of walking everywhere.

Discouraged,

Josh

Casual Fridays

joshfowler — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:33:27 +0000

In a lot of businesses that are “businssey,” (Yeah I said it) many of them call their Fridays “casual Fridays” because it’s the last day of the week. A day to dress down a bit. To let your hair down. Everyone knows at the end of Friday comes the weekend, and for many people, at least one of those two days is spent relaxing. That’s what were gonna do today. No issues to discuss, and no current events. Just a casual friday. Recently, a band that I was with did a promo video and I had the privalidge of being involved. The band is sort-of a soul-blues-rock project that does things a little different. If you have ever heard the song “hard to handle” by the Black Crowes, (Who are from Atlanta, by the way,) you will love this version that our band did. The video work is a lot better than the sound, but the band had very little rehearsal, another had to leave early before the filming started, and I had a fever! Well, anyways, I’ve got a cool wurley solo in here. I have posted the video for your enjoyment. Tell me what you think. Did you like our arrangement?

What are YOU gonna do this weekend?