Earlier this month, my heart was struck with great joy and sadness.

While both of these seem like polar opposites, both events struck a chord with me in the same way. A lesson in life that I try to remind myself all the time.

Let me start with the sadness…

Don, the man that gave me my first job, died this month.

The job started as a paid internship just before I started college.

I’ll never forget the first time I walked into that little radio station.

I had a passion for radio, so getting to see the “man behind the curtain” brought me a lot of satisfaction.

After a month of my internship, it evolved into a regular job. I started by doing the most simplest and lowliest jobs around the radio station, was eventually trained on “The Board,” and after a few years of being a Board Operator, I became the Program/Production Manager.

It was a dream come true.

I learned so much during my time in college, but it wasn’t what I learned in the classroom that stuck with me all of this time. It was everything that Don taught me in that little radio station on the corner.

I don’t have the words or the white space to tell you everything or even share with you the depths of my gratefulness for his generosity. His generosity of confidence and grace that he extended to me set me on my course and is one of the key elements that has planted me where I am today.

Now for some joy…

It’s hard to really grasp it—there’s an air of surrealness to it all.

ChurchMag was ranked 23rd of the top 300 Christian Blogs for Ministry.

This past year has been a serious transition for ChurchMag. New design, strategy, and team.

I may own ChurchMag, but it certainly isn’t my success.

The success belongs to those who have invested their passion into ChurchMag. Those who I’ve surrounded myself with.

My secret to success…

Again I am reminded that my secret to success has little to do with me, but those who are close to me.

It was Don (and many others) that believed in me and poured themselves into me.

It is the team of brilliant minds that love ChurchMag.

It is my family who supports my every decision despite any past failures.

It is within the beauty and awesomeness of others that I find my success.

It is humility.

It is beauty.

It is grace.

Success has little to do with me, and everything to do with others.

Who do you surround yourself with?