The Power of God, Relationships, and Social Media, Pt.1

When I first learned that my wife and I were no longer going to be employed by my church, one of my first reactions was to ask my network of friends for help. To be honest, I didn’t know exactly how to go about it, but I knew I needed their prayers and financial support. Knowing how God had used many of my friends in my life before, I was certain he would use them in extraordinary ways once again.


About two weeks after we had been laid off, I came to the realization that I also had to return the MacBook Pro which had been on loan to me since 2007. Immediately, I launched a four-day fundraising campaign via Facebook and Twitter. Of course, I playfully titled the campaign, “Help Rob & Mj Get Their Mac On”.

At the time, my goal was to raise $600 so that I would be able to make a down payment and begin to finance a new computer. I asked people to pitch-in by simply sending $5 to my mailing address or depositing their gift into my Paypal account.

But…the unexpected happened. Within a few days, my wife and I had received well above $1,500. People were sacrificially and generously giving an average of $40 each. In fact, not one person gave the suggested amount. The memos on the checks, email messages, and notes on Paypal said things like “use this money for whatever”. Some preferred to be more direct and declared, “NO PC’s” or said things like "use these funds to date your mate”. Others were a bit light hearted and said to use it for “booze and Cheetos” or for “life, food, h2o, and shelter”. One friend even referenced “Acts 2”, while a few others reminded me to “get my Mac on”.

On top of that, we received several links to refurbished machines on eBay and Craigslist, offers to old Dell’s/PowerMacs, and employee discounts to the Apple Store.

I even had friends who flew down from Thousand Oaks to encourage me, others who asked me to work on some of their personal projects, got references to job postings, and was asked out on lunch dates, etc.

Man, did we feel the love.

But then another strange thing happen…

A few days after I had blasted my Facebook and Twitter network with emails and messages, I received an email from my church stating that I could keep the computer, but with the condition that I would return the software. While I am sure this gift was a result of having nearly a thousand people praying, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with what had transpired.

Fast-forward to present day and our friends and family members have now blessed us with nearly $5,000 in financial gifts. That’s excluding a $1,000 I told some people to keep. Cleary, God intervened, friends came together, and social media got the word out. Thank you so much! The Lord certainly provided!

Part II of this post will explain what we plan to do next! Stay tuned!

Cody & Jen: A Wedding Invitation

A few years ago I told myself that I would never design wedding invitations again. The explanation for my frustrated declaration was twofold--clients were generally too demanding and generally wanting the same ol same ol. My distaste eventually led to a year and a half break from the format.

Funny thing---since I made that statement I have designed at least a dozen more invitations, including my own.

So what changed? What motivated me to try again? Well first, my engaged friends kept asking me to help them. And secondly, I began to brand wedding invitations around the personality or unique story of the couple. Understanding that new found freedom allowed me to suddenly grow excited about designing these things again.

Here's a recent wedding invitation I designed for my good friends Cody & Jen. My inspiration for this piece came out of their love for missions and the arts.


Above: Exterior (Photography by Aurora McKeehan)


Above: Interior


Above: A sampling of illustrations I created for the invitation.


Above: Hand written notes of their story. The couple had no idea I was going to use their chicken scratch for the real deal.

Please, enjoy the fruits of my labor!

I Heart Designing

I've designed a lot over the years. Here are a few of those pieces clustered together in thumbnail format. Find my complete portfolio here.


Man, I forgot how much I love designing.

Rob & Mj Say Thank You!

Mj and I found ourselves very grateful for what God did for us through many of you in 2009. This is our "thank you letter" to you in coffee table book form. Enjoy thirty pages of photos and stories from our class reunions, wedding, church, and more. We love you!

Click, zoom in or expand to full-screen view here.

Rob's End of the Year Wrap-Up

As promised, I will be posting an "End of the Year Wrap-Up" very soon. For now, I'll leave you with the Abominable Snowman. Isn't he scary?

Connect. Grow. Serve at Seven SD.

This Fall, don't miss your opportunity to connect with other believers in your local church. In just a couple of months, my church will celebrate it's two year anniversary. Here's a snapshot of what has happened so far. Enjoy!

Let Us Play With Your Look at Camp Yearbook

For 13 years now, I have had the privilege of working for a Jostens camp. At this camp, high school students from all over SoCal come to learn how to make a better Yearbook. Each summer we teach our students everything from layout design, theme packaging, copy writing to leadership and business marketing. Our goals are always to educate and motivate campers to go back to their homes and have them meet with their staffs in hopes that they would create a remarkable history book for their student body.

And although we think teaching them those things are very important, we also think that showing them how to have fun should rank high on their value system. We try to model an attitude of "silly" throughout their stay. This year, when it finally came down for us to act like complete fools, my friends, Ryan Hinkle and Marcos Clark and I, turned to "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" for our inspiration. Check out the clip below. I'm the one in the blond wig. Weird, I know.



Here's a photo and short Twitvid of our team herding the groups into relay games. Man, don't you just want to jump in and play?

Celebrating Two Years on Twitter

Exactly two years ago today I joined Twitter. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me, it really is. Although the tool bends heavily on the side of fostering narcissistic behavior, it can also weigh on the side of nurturing a heart for mankind.

Twitter is NOT your enemy. In fact, I have used it to educate, appropriately inform, and celebrate all that is good of life. It has allowed me to journal publicly about the things that have mattered most to me. I have even used it to direct people to links, videos, ideas, artwork, and resources. I have also used it to direct people to personal photos, personal videos, and even some not-so-personal inspirational audio clips.

Over the years, it has worked as an outlet to emote, plea, and promote. I could go on, but for the sake of bite-sized enlightenment, I will stop here.

Below you will see a poll I created. Please feel free and evaluate my use of this tool. Have I helped you?




Yes, even before it was cool, I was on Twitter. Will you roll your eyes at me now? Please, follow my feed here bertoway

Questions I've Wanted to Ask God

In just a few weeks my church will be answering your questions to God about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Do you have one? If so, post it right here; right now!


Make sure to visit the Seven San Diego Church website beginning July 12th to see if we answered your question. Messages will be available for download.

Conan O'Brien Is Back!

My favorite late night personality is back! And this time, as the new host of the Tonight Show. With him he brings his old pal, Andy Richter, Max Weinberg, and of course, a "Twitter Tracker" (make sure to watch the clip below).


Although, Conan returns to NBC a bit more calculated and a whole lot more polished, he also appears to be somewhat nervous, and a bit less playful in his first week back on late night television. I must say though, I do find his current shtick on the Tonight Show very entertaining, partly due to the fact that he is now working with a bigger budget, bigger studio, and a much bigger audience.

While it's too early to tell if Conan and crew will continue to balloon all their old comedy bits into beefed-up Hollywood backlot versions, I will say this--I am still a fan. Cheers to many more years of laughs, Conan! I'm rooting for you.

What I Hope They Won't Say At My Funeral, Pt. 2

Imagine your funeral. Do you picture a sea of mourning faces? Do you picture a group of musicians chanting songs? Do you imagine a priest or pastor speaking words of comfort? While all of those scenarios are likely to be seen or heard at your funeral, have you ever considered what someone might say on your behalf?

The Bible is clear in reminding us that we should be spending more time at funerals than festivals. "For you are going to die, and you should think about it while there is still time" (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

Would your eulogy be packed with praise regarding your great party life? Would people shout to the rooftops regarding your excellent career choices? Would they express great admiration for your academic accolades? Although there is nothing wrong in pursuit of hosting a good party, having great work ethic, or doing well in school, it is important that we always keep the main thing, the main thing. Christ should be at the center of our influence.

Concerning human understanding, King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7: 15-18, "In this meaningless life, I have seen everything, including the fact that some good people die young and some wicked people live on and on. So don't be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don't be too wicked either--don't be a fool! Why should you die before your time? So try to walk a middle course--but those who fear God will succeed either way."

In this passage we find King Solomon pressing our faces into the depths of where we should find meaning to our existence. In his reflections and confessions, Solomon points us back to the God of the Universe. After testing science, philosophy, materialism, and even political power for meaning, he points us back to the God who breathes meaning into our lives. He reminds us that finding purpose in ourselves, rules, or causing people pain only brings pleasure, and not success. In other words he says, "Live a balanced life. Don't be stupid. And seek something bigger and more powerful than yourself--God."

When I die, I hope that people would simply say two things about me at my funeral. I would hope that they would say that my life was 1) in pursuit of loving God and 2) loving other people. Day in and day out, we should reorient our entire lives to making those two things our most important pursuits. In this way, God will help you bring meaning to the meaningless.

Twouble With Twitter

There's always two sides to every story. Here's one side of the Twitter story that most of us find quite amusing.