Up Close and Personal with @anotherjoe

Welcome to the second interview of my Up Close and Personal series where I dig deeper into who our Steemians are and what drives their lives.

Today I had the pleasure of chatting with @anotherjoe. We chatted about his upbringing, life, faith, the origins of his username, and Steemtrail.

If you missed the previous interview with @papa-pepper, you can read it here.

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Thank you for taking the time to chat with me.

My pleasure.

Can you share with me how you first joined Steemit and how you have found the journey so far?

I was told about it by a friend, Luke Crowley. We’re mutual friends with Gabriel Sheare (@piedpiper), who was heavily involved at the time. They were working on Fort Galt together and Steemit was helping Gabe to support himself while they were working on it.

I signed up, but was busy doing other things so didn’t do anything. My account just sat idle for a bit. Then Steemit saw what I refer to as the celebrity bubble. A few famous folks joined and things went bezerk. I saw the interest and started giving it a shot. That was July. A lot of us came on board in July.

I’ve done some writing, so have an idea of what my material is worth. But Steemit only partially rewards for actual value. It’s more about your network building, until you get to a certain point. And, of course, if you can’t get a pile of smaller fish or at least a whale or two to vote, you don’t get much. My early efforts were discouraging. But then I hit a homer, which sorta gave me the bug, I guess. It’s tough when you know you’ve provided a good post and it gets peanuts. But it can be more than balanced later when you get far more for an article than it would be worth if it was freelance.

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I know you are quite active with @steemtrail. Can you share a bit about what is SteemTrail, and how you got involved?

I had been watching SteemTrail a bit from afar and was curious what they were doing. At that time I started to help revive Robinhood Whale, but had some of my own ideas. Little did I know how much my vision would gel with Rick’s ( @instructor2121). My desire was to start building websites and find ways for them to work with the Steem blockchain. Others have tried with some success, but there still isn’t a site other than Steemit and Busy that’s been able to fully integrate with the blockchain. It’s really frustrated quite a few devs when they’ve tried.

I hadn’t ever spoke to Rick before, so wasn’t sure what to expect. As I shared my idea, he thought it was great. We started out tentatively, approaching the sites separately from SteemTrail. But soon it became apparent that the two ideas really complemented each other. This led to other ideas we’re pursuing, which will become more apparent as we’re able to get over some technical hurdles.

To be clear, I’m no dev. Rick can vouch for that. But I’m good at networking and have experience with writing and some organizational skills. Rick’s not really a writer, so he was excited to have someone working with him that could help with writing.

Rick and I have built a great working relationship and have similar vision. Our strengths are really complementary too. SteemTrail works toward encouraging Steemit members, not just in their writing, but in their curation and participation. We’ve seen some good success and our team continues to grow and have really been blessed with some amazing people jumping in and getting excited about SteemTrail.

SteemTrail is also complementary to other curation efforts. Where Curie focuses on newer members and Steem Guild on older ones to make sure they’re getting some attention, SteemTrail focuses on topics. Each team focuses on a topic that they curate and promote. Rick came up with the TRAIL coin to help encourage curators, those who follow SteemTrail on Streemian and writers as well. The larger rewards go to curators though. They work really hard. And, let’s face it, curation awards on Steemit aren’t proportionate to the time it takes to read though dozens of articles in order to find a few gems.

Early on SteemTrail was more focused on just getting trails going and promoting as much material as possible. But as our membership has grown, we’ve started focusing a bit more on quality. It’s a great position to be in and encouraging for us all. We have more ideas for the project too, that we hope to continue to unveil as we make strides in the tools needed. @SteemNews.Online is one of the projects we’re attempting to mature as soon as possible.

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For those who would like to learn more about Steemtrail, where should they go to find out more information?

The best thing to do would be to head over to the SteemTrail Discord server and start asking questions. If they go to the pinned posts in the #steemtrail channel, they can get a good overview of what we do and how we operate. We’re really more of a facilitator. Teams manage themselves and set their own rules. We equip them with resources and back them up. As long as they’re representing SteemTrail well and helping Steemit, we’re happy.

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Tell me a bit about yourself. Who is @anotherjoe? What are you passionate about and what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

What is this strange phrase, “spare time”? Heh, I don’t really have a vocation, so to speak. Over the past few years I’ve worked to be as independent as possible and avoid punching a clock. There have been some successes and a lot of challenges. I think a lot of folks on Steemit can relate. Those who do will surely identify with the concept that “free time” isn’t really something that happens. Even recreational time has to be pursued with purpose.

On the other hand, I really enjoy doing what I’m doing. We get by and I have a lot of freedom. It can be challenging sometimes, but the luxury of being able to change gears quickly, just go do something and spend time with my wife almost whenever we want is priceless. So, maybe a lot of my time is spare, if focused, when looking at it from a different angle.

So, who is Another Joe? The name came about when I was blogging a few years ago. I cringe at the status quo, so don’t consider myself an average Joe. But I’m just a guy, you know? So, yeah, I’m just another Joe, but not average. You can see where my logo came from. My son made that for me.

That really points to what’s important to me. I’m no spring chicken. My wife - we just celebrated our 29th anniversary - and I raised two boys to be fine young men. They’re married and raising their own children now, with our eighth grandchild on the way. So, as for who I am, I’m a husband, father and grandfather.

I like to do a lot of things. If we could afford it, we’d travel all the time. But I get to sometimes, for mission trips and other ventures.

Anyone who’s followed my blog at all knows I’m passionate about Jesus. I’m seminary trained and served as a pastor for a few years. We entertained missionary work too, but God seemed to have other ideas for us. My wife has a history of health issues, so there are factors that made such pursuits more difficult than they would have been otherwise.

My experiences are pretty eclectic too. I’ve mostly worked blue collar, mostly construction related, but also worked for an airline and as a tractor mechanic for a bit. I enjoy writing, as mentioned. The outdoors is another one of my pleasures, whether it’s just hiking, hunting, fishing or whatever. But I don’t get the opportunity as much as I once did. And I’m one of those odd birds, being libertarian and Christian. That can be a whole discussion in and of itself. Of course, Austrian economics goes hand in hand too. I’ve taught economics a little, but never vocationally. I think it’s important that folks understand what freedom really is. Our perspective on this one thing shapes us in more ways than most of us realize.

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Tell me a bit about your upbringing. What was it like for you growing up? Were there any special occasions or pivotal moments in your childhood that stands out in your memory?

Ours was probably a fairly typical American middle-class home, in most ways. Dad was a hard worker and honest man, but not a great father. He just wasn’t around much, and tended to be a disciplinarian. In some ways mom had to try to make up for that.

I was a good kid, for the most part. It wasn’t that I didn’t do things I shouldn’t, but that I was so afraid of getting caught that it was rare for me to get involved in anything substantial. I just didn’t want to let my parents down.

But the church had some influence here as well. A pivotal point was when I was in about 3rd grade. My parents had divorced, but were getting back together. As mom was bringing us back, I asked her if we could start going to church. I don’t know if I’d sat through a church service before then, though I probably had. Mom didn’t hesitate. She said we would. Within a couple of months we were attending a Southern Baptist church near our home.

I think my childhood was pretty easy, otherwise. We never missed a meal, always had a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs and I never felt like I wasn’t loved. I was probably confined too much, but none of us are perfect parents. I probably did the same with the boys.

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You are quite outspoken about your Christian faith. Can you share a bit about how you came to believe in God and become a follower of Jesus?

I’m glad you said that. In a sense, if folks haven’t noticed that I’m a Christian, then I’ve failed. On the other hand, there needs to be balance. We need to avoid being abrasive or obnoxious.

I really don’t remember not believing in God. It’s intuitive. Paul makes that clear in Romans, but every tribe in the world attests to it too. The only ones who deny it are those who claim to be more advanced and enlightened. Having said that, while I can understand why people would deny a specific God, or claim to be agnostic, the denial that God exists defies reason.

Jesus is another matter though. Well, kind of. Some go so far as to claim that he’s a figment of someone’s imagination. But that’s a complete denial of all historical sciences. What is really expected, however, is for folks to deny that Jesus is God. The Jews of his day not only denied it, but sought his death because he claimed it so openly.

How I came to faith in Jesus as savior, however, is a longer story. I thought I was a Christian when attending church as a young man. But as I got into high school, while I would never deny Jesus with my words, I did deny him with my lack of obedience. I just lived for pleasure, like so many of us do at that age. Football, recreation, chasing girls and partying were far more important to me. I was still nominally involved and could articulate the gospel, but I simply wasn’t living for Jesus.

To fast forward a bit, my wife and I married young. We were soon raising our boys and pursuing the American dream, with some degree of success.

My wife had cancer in ’91. It could have been worse, but we were young and resilient. It came back in ’93, then again in ’95.

As I got into my late 20s, dad started reaching out to me more. He loved the boys and was clearly pursuing a relationship with me as well. At first I just didn’t care that much. We didn’t have much of a relationship, so it didn’t really click for me. But we grew closer during that time.

I remember a call from him very clearly. It was a Thursday. We talked for a bit, but then he had to get off the phone for work. When we got off the phone, I was struck by the fact that I regretted ending the conversation. I hadn’t ever felt that way before, so it really stuck with me. It also turned out to be the last time we ever spoke.

My wife was scheduled for surgery the next day. It was a huge deal. She had implants from a previous surgery that had become infected, so was quite ill. I was home with the boys and we had friends coming over to watch them so I could get to the hospital. But I got a call a couple hours beforehand, informing me that dad had been taken to the hospital. I asked our friends if they could watch the boys and drove the 45 minutes to find out what was going on. When I got there, it was too late. He’d died before getting there, probably before the paramedics got to him.

Rather than focusing on my family as I should have, I caved. My wife was in ICU and I failed to nurture her as I should have. My closest friends came in those who would drink beer with me and I just dumped the boys on whomever I could for a bit. Yeah, it was pretty irresponsible.

But God was using it. My wife realized I couldn’t provide everything she needed, so started looking elsewhere. However, rather than my destructive path, she started looking for a church that might provide answers. She knew I had some sort of faith and we had attended a couple times, which intrigued her. But there was no real sense of direction. She just tried different places. Eventually, she found a little Baptist church down the street and started attending.

The pastor and his wife started discipling her and the next thing I knew, she had claimed Christ as her savior and was being baptized. I thought it was great. I was getting a Christian wife!"

Well, they started praying for me. You know how that can go. The next thing I knew I was attending once in a while. Six months later I was attending regularly.

One day I was convicted of my rebellion against God. It all clicked and I repented there. I understood the gospel intellectually up to that point. But then I understood it experientially. Rather than just knowing it, I owned it. I recall us getting home that Sunday and as we walked in the door, I told my wife, “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right”. That was a major turning point in the dynamics of our family.

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If anyone asked you what does it mean to be a Christian and why did you decide to become a Christian, how would you answer?

Besides the circumstances, it’s logical. Many belittle and mock Christ. It’s to be expected, of course. We were warned that it would happen. But it’s still it’s odd to hear folks be so virulent and even hateful about it.

I guess the best answer to the question is the gospel. Jesus has provided the only means to be reconciled with our creator.

In a nutshell, we have rebelled against God. That’s no small thing. God, being perfectly righteous and just, must maintain that perfection, meaning that he cannot wink at sin. And we really don’t get what it is to rebel against a perfect creator - we don’t understand the true horror of it. God does, though. It’s bad enough that we can never satisfy the punishment. But, even more than that, it’s also bad enough to require the very death of the Son of God to be satisfied.

God’s love is every bit as perfect as his justice and righteousness. So are his mercy and grace. Interestingly, mercy and grace could not be expressed in their full perfection without sin. That love, grace and mercy were expressed in their fullness in Jesus. He fulfilled the righteousness we could not and took the punishment we deserve. But it doesn’t end there. He not only took the punishment, he defeated the consequences. He defeated death, rising and vanquishing the threat that it holds over us.

So, what does it mean to be a Christian? It means we’re forgiven. We’re not better. We’re just like everyone else, but have had our relationship with our creator restored because the penalty for our sin has been completely eradicated through the work of Jesus. It changes the focus from our brief lives to eternity. The best day on earth pales in comparison to any day in heaven. And we’ll be there forever.

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Has your life changed in any way since becoming a follower of Jesus?

Sure. It’s been over 20 years now, so not as fresh in my memory as it once was. I can say that it almost certainly saved our marriage. It got me to quit drinking. For nine years after getting saved, I didn’t touch alcohol. I do now sometimes, but still avoid the excess I pursued when young. And it changed my focus completely. The rewards of this life pale in comparison to the rewards in eternity. As Spurgeon said, “Only one life, ’twil soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last”.

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Are there any words from the Bible that has made a significant difference to your life?

I wouldn’t even know where to start. At different times there have been different passages that have stood out to me for various reasons. Sometimes it’s encouragement. Other times it’s conviction. But two passages stand out most at this moment.

The first one is from Romans, 1:18. God has made it clear that the world will suppress in unrighteousness the truth that all creation testifies of regarding his existence and work of salvation. That’s what we should expect. It takes the pressure off us and helps us to be more realistic in our expectations. Ideally, it’ll help keep us from being rabid and abrasive in our testimonies too. We’ve all heard the overbearing Christians going around condemning non-Christians and confronting them aggressively. This doesn’t display the love of Christ, which confronted gently except when dealing with the religious elite.

This leads us to the other one that stands out, which is from the 4th chapter of 1 Corinthians. Paul warns us not to judge the world before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Again, we need to be very careful. Nobody knows exactly what’s going on in the heart and life of another. God may be working on them in ways we can’t even consider. And just as our lovingkindness to others may serve to sooth the lost and perhaps be used by God to convict them, so may our judgemental attitudes and harshness make them wonder why they would bother. Some religions of the world attempt to threaten others into their faith. That’s impossible with Christ. Nobody was ever beaten into believing Jesus is their savior. Only love can do that.

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Thank you for your time.

It’s my pleasure. I’m always willing to talk about SteemTrail, the work we get to do, economics, freedom and, of course, Jesus.