Graphic Design

I sat in a coffee meeting this evening with someone who went to school for graphic design.

It didn't take me long to remember my lack of artistic ability and creativity. Sitting with him was exciting for me, as he'll be doing some work to help us brand our Young Adults program for the church.

Young recent grads with talent and ambition are a great addition to every young adults team. Here is to using his talents while mine remain absent.

Weather...Kinda Nice

While I don't tend to like it getting colder, I did buy a coat in late spring early summer for cheap that I've been excited to wear.

I got to wear it today, that was kinda nice.

Pretty vain, but honest.

Now it can warm back up for camping this weekend.

Loaded E-mails

I never know how to respond when I receive a loaded e-mail. Does it need to be dealt with in person, as to communicate better and more clearly, or responded to in kind via e-mail so as to answer more quickly and avoid the scheduling delays and location issues of answering in person.

I received one of those tonight. Not an e-mail that causes weird emotion, or is asking a ton of me, it was actually an e-mail I will happily entertain the conversation, just one that comes with questions that are asking far more than their text words are saying.

Can you instill the right amount of encouragement over the internet? Can you cast the proper kind of vision?

I don't think I can do both of those things as well as I would like through e-mail, but don't want it to be a week from now before any conversation happens.

Suppose that means tomorrow I'll come up with some kind of middle ground.

14 wasn't enough

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I sometime work 14 hour days on Thursdays. Granted, some of that time isn't considered work as it is going out to Applebee's with many of the young adults after the service, but a normal Thursday had put me at leaving for work 14 hours before I returned home.

The last two weeks, since our fall kick-off have not been normal Thursdays. They have been 16 hour days instead.

I'm beat. Need sleep. Heading to bed.

Preaching about...

Our young adults group is continuing its study of the book of Acts tomorrow night.

My topic to teach on is how God uses preaching in the book of Acts.

I'll be preaching about preaching. I've been having a lot of fun thinking about how different preachers and sermons have affected and encouraged my walk with God.

Will be interesting to see what I decide to say in the 35 minutes I have.

College Like Days

Some of the guys from our young adults group decided it would be fun to have me over for an evening, so we scheduled that for tonight.

We spent most of the evening playing the latest and currently most popular video games. It reminded me of college.

Fortunately, I haven't lost all of my thumb skills so after a little time getting used to some of the games, I didn't just come in last place every time.

I told them that the next time Jenny is out of town for a while, I will likely end up at their place for a couple evenings in a row getting my fix.

Another one Down

From Seminary books to work books.

We (our young adults leadership team) are going through books together each month to continue to develop ourselves. We finished a book with spiritual emphasis last week, which means this months book will be a leadership/team management book.

I finished it today, which gives me the next 4 weeks or so to read books I want.

Good thing some came in the mail last week. I finally get to open them now. It is like getting a present, opening a book order.

Hopefully I won't leave the plastic wrap on the floor for too long in my excitement.

Wins Around

So far, it has been a weekend for winning.

I have continued success with alumni soccer games as we pulled out another victory over the current varsity team by a score of 3-2.

Then, I secured two fantasy football wins (of three teams) and have set myself up nicely to win the 3rd after the Monday Night Game.

Wins all around in my sporting adventures this weekend.

Now it is time to re-enter the productive world.

Results Abound

These men are about 7'9" tall. They are currently guarding our garage as their skin dries.

They are my teaching visuals for tomorrow evening, but will be used as decoration/props for much longer than that.

Though not pictured in their correct order, they are "Do." (shovel man) "Love." (missing heart man) and "Walk." (walking stick man).

Jenny and I thoroughly enjoyed creating them.

Thanks dad for having most of your tools handy.

Typical Tuedays...

Golfing was fun. Great weather, great company, and occasionally a great shot or two.

Now some of you may be asking:

What does a young adults pastor do on a Tuesday night after golfing during the day?

Here is my answer:


Using all the available technology (wireless internet, laptop, projector and digital camera) we (the pastor's wife helped) spend the late evening hours in the garage tracing large stick people (3 different varieties) onto full 8'x4' sheets of plywood.

Sometime tomorrow, they will be cut out of those sheets and painted.

Fall kick-off is this Thursday, and though the original intention in my head was just to have them as teaching visuals, they will likely be used for far more than that in the upcoming weeks.

Just another typical Tuesday.

Break Time

The last two weeks (Last week through this Thursday) were set to be busy based on the church's schedule.

Tomorrow is my oasis in the middle of the busy-ness dessert as I get spend the day golfing in a scramble with good company for a good cause.

I need this break to refresh me for the rest of this busy week.

Now back to rooting for my remaining players in the second half of their monday night game. Still can reasonably win in two of the leagues that i'm behind in.

...And I'll Say It Again

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the players on my fantasy football teams know when I'm cheering for them and when i'm not.

All 3 of my teams are currently losing.

I don't have a chance for 1 of them, but with two Monday Night Games tomorrow, two of my teams can still reasonably pull off victories.

Lets hope the Chargers route the Raiders in the late game, I even have numerous different ways that they can score those points.

Next week, I shouldn't have to miss over half of the games, so my teams should do better.

Interesting Encounters

I thought I was running out to eat a quick lunch today. I had brought along a book I needed to read a chapter of but decided in the parking lot to put it back in my car, eat quickly and read back in the office instead of at lunch.

I ate fast food.

I didn't leave the establishment for over an hour.

It so happens that someone I vaguely recognized and knew largely only through other acquaintances recognized me and struck up a conversation.

The story of his life over the last 2 years is both excited and heartbreaking and I was blessed to have heard it over an hour long lunch conversation.

I was glad I had left my book in the car, glad for the random encounter at lunch, and blessed beyond belief by the honor of hearing how God was working in another man's life.

I wouldn't complain if every lunch was so worthwhile for me.

Stressful...

Two weeks worth of fall kick-offs and big changes is taxing me.

I'm behind on too many things for kick offs to all be here.

Can't the beginning of new school years not come for a couple more weeks or so?

Sorry Jenny

Football Season starts tomorrow (Thursday) which makes me excited.

There will be very few football games that I won't have some rooting interest in again this year as i'm involved in 3 fantasy football leagues.

Sorry Jenny.

Go Colts!

Corn Wins

Jenny and I actually made it to the State Fair this afternoon. It was my first time attending without being there as a volunteer to do work.

The only food I had ever had before was a deep fried candy bar. I experimented more this time.

We had deep fried fresh fruit, roasted corn on the cob, gator nuggets and hush puppies, regular and strawberry lemonade, curly fries with cheese, more corn, and I had to re-visit deep fried candy bars.

Fun times, fun food, funny story.

The last of those (funny story) we only witnessed in video form. We ran into some people we knew who had spent some of their morning at the fair watching horse shows. They also witnessed another man in the stands who was brushing his teeth, constantly. No toothpaste, no water, no swishing, just a dry toothbrush.

They shot 12 minutes worth of footage on their digital camera, he is brushing during all 12 minutes.

Maybe he should become a fair attraction next year, it is one of those things you just couldn't look away from, even though you wanted to.

Time to sleep off all those calories.

Dirty Tricks

Jenny and I walked to the Redbox tonight to rent a movie. We picked one, rented it, and walked home.

15 minutes later I was e-mailing Redbox to get my money back. The people who had rented the movie before us, carefully took the barcode sticker off of the dvd and placed it on their own cd-r. Thus, we had no movie and they had no charges for theft.

Hope the process of fixing that all goes smoothly.

We just watched my favorite movie instead.

Not Good Alone

Traditionally, our young adults group heads to Applebee's after we finish things up at the church on a Thursday.

Tonight, someone changed our location to Buffalo Wild Wings (I like trips there, have I mentioned that?).

Because I had been there the day before for lunch, I felt the need to order differently, so I ordered Jenny's favorite appetizer (the chili con queso dip). I just don't get as much enjoyment eating it alone as I do when she's there.

Waivering Decisions

North Central University had their first soccer game of the season yesterday.

I saw most of it after arriving late due to a work meeting.

It was interesting for me to evaluate from the sidelines, knowing that had I wanted to, I could have been the head coach of that team this year.

I haven't ever gotten to the point where I wished that was the case, and in fact, am glad it isn't busying up my schedule right now, but will always be curious what kind of coach I would have made for them.

Lunch Meetings

Usually, they're worth it.

Tomorrow, I get a two hour long buffalo wing meeting at Buffalo Wild Wings in Champlin.

Me, wings, free, 2 great guys as company.

And they'll pay me for it.

Awesome.