"Whatever you’re meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible." - Doris Lessing

I curse the advent of Wi-Fi on planes.

What used to be a respite from digital connection and—in my better moments—a chance for big picture reflection, flying has become part of the continuous stream of YouTube scrolling and breaking news.

So, in search of what theologian Andy Crouch calls the “the patient process of search and recognition that adds up to being known,” I decided that instead of logging on, I’d go through and look at every photo I’ve taken over the last twelve months.

And wow! It really is true: We overestimate what we can do in a day, yet underestimate what we can do in a year. I hosted midsummer folk drag! I visited the Sambadrome in Rio!

Just as I reached the end of the year’s images, I ran into a collection of photos from a trip to Los Angeles last January where I filmed this video:

I may be biased, but wouldn’t Just Come Over! make a fun TV show?!

As ever fewer people host friends and family in their home, Michelle Smith and I wanted to create something that helped people learn how to gather in creative, entertaining ways that didn’t break the bank.

Imagine a Queer Eye-like show for hosting where we’d help a recently divorced dad host a slumber party to deepen his male friendships, or broke college students throw a feast on the cheap, or suburban neighbors create a BBQ Battle to build community!

Michelle and I met in-person for the first time the day before we shot that sizzle reel, and I loved working with her. Apart from making an exceedingly good mocktail and surprising me with her 90s rapping skills, Michelle has that perfect combination of being talented and hardworking with absolutely no sense of self-importance. In the weekly calls we started to have as we dreamed up the concept, we laughed easily and often. We learned about the industry, put together a pitch deck, shared it with contacts, and reached out to new ones.

But…it wasn’t to be.

Commercial TV producers didn’t want it. Not enough conflict. Not enough celebrities. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.

Disappointing? Yes. Glad we tried, anyway? Also yes.

I’m glad because I’m proud of what we made. And I had fun trying! And who knows how it might come to life again in the future.

But why share all this with you?

Because I realized I’d failed to take the advice I usually offer to others. (Always a humbling recognition...)

1. Do good work.

2. Tell people about it.

I share that advice especially with young people who ask me about building a career that doesn’t make sense. And the truth is that in a creative path not every dream comes true. Most don’t—but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth celebrating.

So thanks for letting me share about this dream with you, dear reader.

I’m grateful I got to try—and I hope you’ll keep trying too!

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Unlikely Sacred Spaces

1. Tree Church

Check out this stunning video of a living church set inside beautiful gardens in Ohaupo, New Zealand. Truly, a unique place of contemplation and celebration.

‍2. Dancing in the Sanctuary

St Gregory’s in San Francisco is set in the round, with the liturgy being danced as a community—in real life, and with fabulous saints painted on the walls!

‍3. Gravel Mosque

An installation piece that allowed every visitor to create their own personal mosque, using only the core ingredients—a stand-alone mihrab, a washbasin, and a seat.

‍4. Shared Synagogue, Mosque and Church

A striking architectural achievement in Nebraska—a building that houses a mosque, church, synagogue, and an interfaith center under one roof!