2014 – Year In Review
2014 was a very important year for me, thanks to you. In it I made some very important strides. While there were some personal trade-offs, I can sense that I have laid a foundation from which my ministry can blossom, and many of you would be helped by what I can offer.
Redefinition of Mission
At the end of 2013, I had asked my tribe to fill out a survey as to what their needs were, and considering my talents and skills. Many responded. It helped provide a little clarity as to what my next steps were.
When I began my ministry, I had crafted the monicker the “Catholic Weird Al.” The only problem with that was that, while it stuck, it ignored the other skills I brought to the table, such as worship leading, keynoting and apologetics through music. Any attempt I had to shift attention to those other subjects were always blocked by that monicker. I needed to rebrand, but for years, I simply did not know how.
Thanks to you, I was able to create a new brand: Worship, Wisdom and Wit, and then run with that. This was a slogan that made sense—it respected that I had a history of comedy parody songs, but it also opened up a new venue for me to share my passion and knowledge about other subjects, namely worship and how to grow in the faith.
My Biggest Accomplishment
By far, the one thing I was most proud of was the completion of the book 24 Ways to Upgrade Your Catholic Youth Group. In it, I was able to distill my decades-long involvement with helping youth and young adults in many varying levels, while also being perceptive to the changes in the world since I began. It was extremely personal, and it delved upon my own stories and experiences throughout the years.
This was my first real book, and I am already hearing fantastic feedback for the results.
However, I am currently in the process of upgrading the resource, in time for sending it to Amazon Kindle next month. In addition to finding some unfortunate typos (that my editor had missed), I am making an audio version available for those who will want one. Expect this in time of January.
Because of these new developments, I have decided to extend my promotion (get this book free) to January 18. If you haven’t taken advantage of this deal, you will want to.
My Biggest Accidental Success
Earlier this summer, two Jehovah’s Witnesses stopped by my house, and we had a conversation. Afterwards, I thought I would blog about what happened.
To my utter surprise, this story was my most viral post, since its inception. I received over a hundred +1’s on reddit, and was profiled on bigpulpit. Even to this day it’s still one of my most popular posts.
To this, I am greatly humbled. How did this happen? Why this story? I am happy to have a blog post that so greatly resonated with my audience, and I hope to continue sharing stories like this in the future.
But in case you’re wondering, despite the promise that they would return, they have not.
My Latest Parody Songs
It was not part of my plans for last year, but sometimes I could not help myself. Over the last twelve months I found myself inspired to writing parody songs based upon current hits on the radio.
I succeeded in crafting four parody songs: based off of Katy Perry’s “Roar”, Magic!’s “Rude”, Ylvis’ “What Does the Fox Say?” and Meghan Trainer’s “All About That Bass.”
And yet… I will admit that I have not recorded these, nor released a video for them. The only folks that have seen me do these are those youth events that have invited me in. Last October I was invited to help out with a senior high school retreat, where I played a couple of these, all with rapturous success.
In November 2013, I captured video of me lip-syncing my own parody for “Blurred Lines”, with the intent to craft a video for that. Unfortunately, after seeing the raw footage, I abandoned the project, because it just didn’t work. I am a lot of things, but a music-video director (via selfies) is not quite one of them.
One area where I did make them known was not through a performance, but through my free eBook on parody song lyrics. Not only do I have all of my works under one single bound resource, but I also have lots of helps in there, especially for youth ministers and catechists who wish to employ use of my parodies to use in their own circles. As I shared in my book, parody songs are a form of comedy that, when used right, can also be used as a teaching aid.
One of my goals for 2015 is to both improve my craft of making quality selfie-videos. But here is a plea for assistance: if there are any video-making evangelists out there who are in need of good material, perhaps we can work out an arrangement.
My Biggest Disappointment
One of my goals for last year was to take my passion for worship music and craft an indie music publishing company. Alas, it simply was not to be. You have spoken (or rather, stayed silent), and exhibited little interest in the music notation I provided that accompanied my Prayer Meeting Podcasts.
There are many extenuating factors here, none of which can be tied down to one thing. And while I could not get any music publication off the ground, it’s not like that there is no interest; many of you have downloaded my free Advent songbooks for example. It’s just that I see the intricacies of the music publishing industry, and I am not at the level where I can sell them yet.
From a purely objective standpoint, I understand this. Anybody can craft their own songbook, but if it’s just one person doing the job, then what is missing is an extra level of assurance that the songs themselves are worthy of learning. Also, the limitations of the medium: no radio stations, no advertising dollars, great competition from the major publishing houses—I have an insurmountable goal that is divided by my other passions.
This whole experience has been one big learning curve. I see the music publishing industry exhibiting changes over the last few years, and I want to still be a part of it. This coming year I hope to try a few new approaches to getting my songs out.
My Biggest Personal Setback
Years ago, I had lost fifty pounds. Many of you remember seeing me on EWTN’s Life on the Rock where I had my highest weight gain. My size was too strong for me, so I made a goal to lose that weight, and I did.
There has been a steady slow weight gain creep since then. And last year, when I thought I could be inspired to lose some more pounds, I found myself actually gaining again. And I knew that this would happen, especially when I poured myself into my manuscript. And sure enough, I have gained another ten pounds since last year.
I have since taken some active steps towards losing this weight again. A couple of days ago, I have hired a virtual personal trainer through fiverr.com. I have also remodeled my workout area in my house, and found a time when I can slip away and do a set of exercises. Time will tell to see how effective they will be.
My Live Performances
This year I had a number of invitations which were all successful in varying ways. I was, in turns, a comedian, a keynote presenter, and a worship musician. I had been invited to be the key entertainment for a dinner gala for those in a ministry that helps teach abstinence to teenagers; in that performance, I got to play my “Summer Nights” parody which expresses such.
Another great event I was invited to was to be a keynote presenter for a day-long charismatic conference for Korean young adults (CUNAE). It was there that I had some great conversations about the nature of worship, and how to provide practical means of upgrading their musical approaches. I was probably more blest by their faithfulness and fire, and was greatly touched by the Eucharistic Adoration at the end of the day.
I also had been invited to serve for multiple high school events. In one particular event I was able to do both the teachings, some comedy (which was extremely well received), and then switch gears and be the music for adoration. The kids were extremely reverent and the tone was very powerful. I hope that the seeds were laid.
A Return to Youth Ministry Convention
At the end of the year I have, at long last, returned to NCCYM, the National Catholic Conference for Youth Ministry, as an exhibitor. I went solely as an exhibitor. It was time. I had been very active in the past, but ten years went by due to my children’s birth and my crazy years leading up to this moment.
Enough time had passed, and I had since built up enough experience to throw myself back in to this world.
Family News
My children turned seven this past year, and we celebrated by taking our first big family trip to Disney World. The trip was momentous in that we were able to experience the joy of each other at such a landmark vacation spot. But it was not without its challenges, as one of my kids is on the autistic spectrum, and not everything went according to fairy-tale plans.
Furthermore, my own father had some delicate health related issues that I needed to care for. He has gradually recovered, for which I am grateful. I have hope that with the proper diet and exercise, he can not suffer any relapse.
One of my joys in what I do is that, in all that I do, my family comes first. They all give me life by their presence, by their assurances, and by witnessing my children’s growth, day after day. It is vitally important that I continue to be a presence for them as they mature.
Plans for 2015
Already I have a number of plans set up for 2015. They include:
- Returning to NCYC in November, as an exhibitor.
- Finishing my upgrade to my book, and properly releasing it on Amazon Kindle (perhaps finding a publisher).
- Shopping my worship songs at the major publishing houses.
- Learning the craft of making music videos, or partnering with the right creatives with the same passion for evangelism as I do.
- Losing the weight I had gained, and then some.
- Crafting a second or third resource for you, my tribe.
- Continually being there for my kids—they’re making first communion this year.
Conclusion
All in all, 2014 was a very good year. I could not have expected to have accomplished all that had transpired. It is my hope that I help discern what your needs are for 2015, and how I can help you accomplish your goals, especially in regards to helping provide resources to grow in our faith.