Help Destroy My Career for Christ
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I need your support to set out on a 12-month mission trip dedicated to crafting powerful photo essays that tell the story of how Christ is transforming lives across the United States. This project will help me create my second book. It will also destroy my career in the process. And I'm ok with that. Here’s why...
The Call
I’ve been a professional speaker for over 20 years, sharing insights about servant leadership, communication, and talent development at hundreds of secular conferences and events across the country. I’ve used my passion for photography and storytelling to bring those concepts to life, which led to the publication of my first book last year - Heroes, Villains, and Drunk Old Men: A Love Story for Real Life .
But as my faith in Christ has grown, so has my desire to tell others about him. By his grace over the last few years, the stories I’ve wanted to tell have been about Jesus and not me, and how his love alone has the power to change lives from the inside out. To answer that call, I’ve jumped at the chance to photograph and write about a variety of Christian concerts, events, missions, and revivals, eager to capture and share countless beautiful moments of conversion and re-dedication.
So when I was offered the chance in March of 2018 to work with my dear friend Brett Reffeitt and serve as the event host and photographer for evangelist Clayton Jennings , hip-hop artist Blake Whiteley , and musician Joshua Micah on their 52-city Revival tour across America , I couldn’t turn it down. It would be, in essence, the mission trip of a lifetime, filled with the stories of personal transformation I feel called by God to share with the world in as many books as I could write.
But this opportunity comes with massive risks.
The Risks
When I joined the tour, I agreed that I wouldn’t accept a salary from it, so I wouldn’t be a financial burden on the rest of the team. I planned instead to support myself and my family by offering the photos I captured during each revival on a special site called RevivalTourPhotos.com , which attendees could download either for free or for a small optional donation.
Although the photos on the site have been viewed over 335,000 times and hundreds of attendees have downloaded photos so far, fewer than 5% have donated - a far lower rate than expected.
Moreover, my secular speaking schedule will be next to nothing for about a year. It has to be, given the time necessary to travel to Revival tour dates, spend time on location to shoot the photos and write the stories of those I've met while on the road, and produce the book.
This will wipe out my largest source of income. And in the world of public speaking, where you have to speak frequently to stay competitive, this year-long absence will, in all likelihood, destroy a career that’s taken over two decades to build.
To recap: I'm not paid by the tour, my speaking revenue will be virtually wiped out, and donations through RevivalTourPhotos.com have been significantly below projections. At this point, it’s not financially possible for me to answer the call God has placed in my life.
That’s why I would be incredibly grateful for your help and investment.
The Goal
The goal is to publish a narrative photo book with the working title of SEEN and UNSEEN: Life, Death, and Love Along the Road to Revival in the summer of 2019.
The book has one purpose: to help the reader fall in love with Jesus. To meet that goal, SEEN and UNSEEN will be filled with creative portraits of the everyday heroes who have dedicated or re-dedicated their lives to Christ, captured on location in and around their homes, along with the story of how Jesus has continued to move in their lives.
The Investment
I need to raise at least $50,000 by September 1, 2018 to bring these stories to life and support me, my wife, and our two daughters over the next year:
$2,500 - Photo processing, electronic storage, and equipment maintenance
$38,000 - partially cover my family’s basic living expenses over the next 12 months
$2,500 - conduct on-location photo shoots and interviews with the subjects of the book
$7,000 - book editing, layout, and publishing costs
Finally...
You'll see a list of rewards for a variety of donation amounts.
None of these, however, can adequately express my gratitude for your investment and support.
Just as important as your donation, and even more so, is prayer - that Christ would be glorified by the Revival and this book, for continued protection for my family while I'm on the road, and for the health and safety of every member of the Revival tour, wherever it may take us.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
The Call
I’ve been a professional speaker for over 20 years, sharing insights about servant leadership, communication, and talent development at hundreds of secular conferences and events across the country. I’ve used my passion for photography and storytelling to bring those concepts to life, which led to the publication of my first book last year - Heroes, Villains, and Drunk Old Men: A Love Story for Real Life .
But as my faith in Christ has grown, so has my desire to tell others about him. By his grace over the last few years, the stories I’ve wanted to tell have been about Jesus and not me, and how his love alone has the power to change lives from the inside out. To answer that call, I’ve jumped at the chance to photograph and write about a variety of Christian concerts, events, missions, and revivals, eager to capture and share countless beautiful moments of conversion and re-dedication.
So when I was offered the chance in March of 2018 to work with my dear friend Brett Reffeitt and serve as the event host and photographer for evangelist Clayton Jennings , hip-hop artist Blake Whiteley , and musician Joshua Micah on their 52-city Revival tour across America , I couldn’t turn it down. It would be, in essence, the mission trip of a lifetime, filled with the stories of personal transformation I feel called by God to share with the world in as many books as I could write.
But this opportunity comes with massive risks.
The Risks
When I joined the tour, I agreed that I wouldn’t accept a salary from it, so I wouldn’t be a financial burden on the rest of the team. I planned instead to support myself and my family by offering the photos I captured during each revival on a special site called RevivalTourPhotos.com , which attendees could download either for free or for a small optional donation.
Although the photos on the site have been viewed over 335,000 times and hundreds of attendees have downloaded photos so far, fewer than 5% have donated - a far lower rate than expected.
Moreover, my secular speaking schedule will be next to nothing for about a year. It has to be, given the time necessary to travel to Revival tour dates, spend time on location to shoot the photos and write the stories of those I've met while on the road, and produce the book.
This will wipe out my largest source of income. And in the world of public speaking, where you have to speak frequently to stay competitive, this year-long absence will, in all likelihood, destroy a career that’s taken over two decades to build.
To recap: I'm not paid by the tour, my speaking revenue will be virtually wiped out, and donations through RevivalTourPhotos.com have been significantly below projections. At this point, it’s not financially possible for me to answer the call God has placed in my life.
That’s why I would be incredibly grateful for your help and investment.
The Goal
The goal is to publish a narrative photo book with the working title of SEEN and UNSEEN: Life, Death, and Love Along the Road to Revival in the summer of 2019.
The book has one purpose: to help the reader fall in love with Jesus. To meet that goal, SEEN and UNSEEN will be filled with creative portraits of the everyday heroes who have dedicated or re-dedicated their lives to Christ, captured on location in and around their homes, along with the story of how Jesus has continued to move in their lives.
The Investment
I need to raise at least $50,000 by September 1, 2018 to bring these stories to life and support me, my wife, and our two daughters over the next year:
$2,500 - Photo processing, electronic storage, and equipment maintenance
$38,000 - partially cover my family’s basic living expenses over the next 12 months
$2,500 - conduct on-location photo shoots and interviews with the subjects of the book
$7,000 - book editing, layout, and publishing costs
Finally...
You'll see a list of rewards for a variety of donation amounts.
None of these, however, can adequately express my gratitude for your investment and support.
Just as important as your donation, and even more so, is prayer - that Christ would be glorified by the Revival and this book, for continued protection for my family while I'm on the road, and for the health and safety of every member of the Revival tour, wherever it may take us.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Organizer
Andy Janning
Organizer
Brownsburg, IN
