Looking Back (and to the Future)

Teaching this Church History class has had me wondering what people will be confused by when they study this timeperiod of the church.

Most of Church History is filled with Christians doing some pretty ridiculous things and arguing about some really odd-ball kinds of church issues.

Every timeperiod is filled with that.

So what will be the glaring ones that stick out from our day?  Things we don't even think to question and assume we've found the final verdict on?

I've got some guesses, but no valid arguments for any of them...homosexuality, cultural diversity, order and importance of different worship service activities, heaven/hell discussions, end-times discussions, and the list goes on.

Soccer Recruitment

I was e-mailed today to possibly join a summer soccer team.

They would want me to get in shape (not just play recreationally).

My apprehension to jump at the opportunity has affirmed how old I'm becoming.

Weather Woes

Being spoiled with such a warm early spring makes a rainy, windy, cold day like today feel more miserable than ever.

What happened to mornings filled with golf?

The events of the day were all positive, yet the attitudes and demeanors of most I encountered today were ones of mild toned apathy.  Not depression, not sadness, but not joy or glee either.  The weather has a strange effect sometimes.

Hoping for the positive experiences of it again soon.

Not Much Better

They don't get much better than today.  After church, we grabbed quick burgers from Champs, and got home for the Kentucky game.  They won convincingly.  Tiger won golf convincingly.

We made it to and watched the Hunger Games movie.  Kansas beat UNC (picked this in my bracket) giving me 3 of the 4 Final Four teams picked correctly on my bracket (I couldn't have ever put Pitino there).

To top it all off, Jenny made Swedish Meatballs for dinner.

Now I'm happy and full.  Tomorrow has a tough task ahead of it if it is going to try and top today.

When I'm Cold

Generally, if I feel a little chilly, regardless of the time of year, my first thought isn't to grab a blanket or put on another layer of clothes.  I immediately want to get in a hot tub.

Since I don't own one, that means I decide to take a hot bath.  I'm not even a little ashamed to admit that.  I love it.

This happened tonight and I decided to convince my mind I was warm by eating a tropical flavored popsicle while taking said hot bath.

Now I feel warm, relaxed, comfortable and tropical.

Lighting Guy Returns

Easter is approaching, and those special seasons at the church require extra rehearsals as we aim to put our best on display.

Like it did at Christmas time, this has moved me to operating the lightboard.  I'm excited about what we have planned musically for Easter, and looking forward to helping make that function as good as I can from a tech side.

It had been a few months where I wasn't doing any tech stuff with the Sunday services, and felt like returning to old familiar territory when I reunited with the Xmas sound guy and my trusty lightboard tonight for rehearsal.

Bring on Easter (though actually give us a couple more weeks to prepare), we're ready (I mean, we will be).

Instructing Competence

The "non-traditional" soccer season has arrived.  As a coach, there are many restrictions on when we can hold practices, train, give instruction, and communicate with our college athletes.

Our spring season has arrived.  We are allowed 4 weeks of practices (with certain guidelines) and one day of competition.  We'll be enrolling our guys in a 1 day, 3 game 8v8 tournament down in Iowa, which means it is time to prepare.

This preparation will find me in a similar role.  Our goalkeeper from last season plays another sport in the spring and won't be with us (and may not be with us next year) and so I have to make someone a competent goalie.

I've got two candidates that I get to start working with to turn into goal stopping machines by mid-April and to give drills for them to do throughout the summer if they hope to compete for the starting role next fall.

Hope they are ready to get their hips sore.

My Day in a Nut"shell"

March Madness began.

Kentucky won.

I ate three of the new tacos from Taco Bell that have the Dorito flavored shells.  They are phenomenal.

It was a good day.

Golf Season Arrived Today

The course was about an hour away, but our Senior High pastor (Josh) and I made it out for the opening rounds of golf for the season.

Didn't hit them as well as either of us would have liked, but started to shake off the rust.  In a month, (when the season would normally begin) we'll be way ahead of where we were last year.  At least that's the plan.

Looking forward to a season of getting better, helping others get better, and pressuring Josh into getting better.

Golf is here!

Vision Casting

I'm supposed to bring my rough draft of a vision cast for some new initiatives at the church to a meeting next Thursday.

While I don't like thinking of tackling more with my job description on a consistent basis, the blank whiteboard of dreaming is fun.  To start with just a goal, and get to develop the major pieces of the strategy (then to adjust it as other pieces need to be put in place) is at least an energizing process for me.

Hopefully I'll come up with something awesome to implement that will help improve lives and grow our church at the same time.

Lost for words

Can't think of what to write tonight...so i'm just going to  post the blog i put on our church website.

The season of life we find ourselves in is a fascinating one.  Many of us are looking forward to spring’s arrival.  To see new life, feel new energy, and find joy in watching things burst forth from the shell they created over winter.  But do we get so caught up in the coming of spring that we lose the focus of this season of life?

Life has a rhythm, and part of that rhythm includes winter.  A time when things have died, when the winds have overcome, the leaves fallen, and life seems far from us.  But it is a crucial season.  One that enriches the soil and makes way for new life.

New life planted, new life sprouting, new life harvested, and life consumed.  It’s a pattern.  Winter is when life is consumed.  Our growth, our sustenance is dependent on life that was, not life that is coming.

It is often this season that many feel most connected to God.  When we acknowledge that there is suffering that brings life.  That there is a season to reflect not just on the coming hope, not just on the promised reward, not just on the feeling of energy and life…but at time to reflect on the cost of that life.  The cost paid by another.  The death that brings forth all new life.

Spend the rest of this season, not just in anticipation of spring, not just in anticipation of Resurrection, but in communion with a God who paid a price, suffered, even died so that life could be possible for us.  Without this season, life would not be possible.

Sleeping Choices

Deciding to start  reading a book at 10:30 on Friday night turned out not to be too fortuitous for my weekend sleeping schedule as I often prefer to read entire books at one time.

Thus, the Hunger Games was read and it was 4:00 before I went to sleep, even though I had basketball in the morning.

Combining that with losing an hour between Saturday and Sunday, and I was paying for it this afternoon, though luckily I got a nap, and am now ready (at 10:45) to start catching up on some t.v. shows since I'm not tired.

I'm Too Slow

I got an e-mail today about an awesome 2 day conference/event I wanted to go to.  It came with a $500 fee as well as the flights and hotels though, so I had some conversations at work and called Jenny to talk before just moving forward.

48 minutes after the e-mail had arrived I was ready to move forward with registering.

The event was sold out (capped at 50 people) before I could register.

Now I'm bummed to not be spending two days in California in the beginning of May.

Hopefully they'll run the same event, or a similar one at another time, and i'll be able to respond instantly, instead of with a 48 minute delay.

Sad Day

The news coming out of Indianapolis for the Colts is sad.  Petyon Manning becoming a free agent.

Hope he lands somewhere he can continue to succeed.  But hope he loses to the Colts anytime he plays them.

It's been a great run with you, here's to hoping that all the offseason changes fix some of the problems the Colts have had in recent years.  We know that you (Peyton) weren't that problem.

Short Sleeves Winter

With the snow, and for most days the temperature, not hitting as fiercely this winter, I have found that my propensity for layering and/or dressing warm to start to have diminished.

It felt noticeable today when my short sleeve shirt didn't provide the warmth the rest of my arms wanted.  My dignity refused to allow me to give in and wear my coat though, so for much of the day I just sat with goosebumps on my arms.

Strangely, I was productive at work today in an increased fashion from normal.  I wonder if these two things were connected?

Do goosebumps make me work faster?  Find out some other time when they show up all day by accident.

Sunday Sports

Got home from church today just in time to catch the end of the Kentucky Basketball game.  Glad to see their perfect run through the SEC season, now I'm just hoping they don't lose again until next season.

Spent most of the afternoon after that watching the golf tournament.  For some reason, golf is just more fun to watch when Tiger is playing well.  I don't even care if he wins (he didn't today), he makes watching golf (something I like even when he isn't playing, let alone playing poorly) really fun to watch when he is playing well.

Didn't do much important with the rest of the day.  Felt needed before another week of work kicks off tomorrow.

Go Cats Go

Kentucky's run of home wins is impressive.  Glad to see that those playing their final home game tonight got to go out with a win.

While that is cool, my real hope for this team comes with a different game.

Whenever it is, I just hope they win the last one they play this season.