Chick-Fil-A

Had a meal at the best fast food in the world today for lunch.

With classes winding down at the University of Minnesota, it will probably be a while before I get another one.

Let the withdrawals begin.

Summer Break!

I've always heard, and known that teachers get excited for summer break too.

Today, I can agree with them.

I finished my other class this morning (to join with the completion of the Church History one) to now find myself with at least a month without a class.

I'm excited for summer break...but only for a season, because I really do enjoy teaching.

And They're Done

Tonight marked the finish of my church history class.

That completes having taught all 8 of the classes I designed for our church's discipleship process at least one time.

Sunday will mark having taught all 8 classes once and 5 of them twice.

Feels good to be done with church history for a while.

Leftovers of Awesomeness

I'm generally not a big fan of taking my lunch to work.  I'm also usually not a big fan of left overs.

But when it comes to Cashew Chicken made according to the Kemper Cookbook, I'll eat it whenever I can.

Not many meals make this category, but that's near the top of the list.

Not Monday Too

It doesn't happen super routinely, but today felt really long for a Monday.  I'm used to my Wednesdays and Thursdays (evenings where I teach) feeling like long days...but not Mondays.

Mondays fairly typically include pre-marital counseling or maybe a once a month meeting (as was the case tonight) but for some reason, when 8:15 arrived and I was walking through the door, it felt later than on other nights.

I can't afford for my body to start assuming that Mondays are long days too.

Fortunately, those monthly meetings can't happen on Mondays through the summer, and I only have one pre-marital session left with the current Monday night couple.  Combine that with Wed. being the last meeting time of this particular class before it takes a summer break and I'll actually have some evenings free here soon for a season.

Jenny Updated the Adoption Blog

http://fearfulwonderfulsecret.blogspot.com/2012/04/hurry-up-and-waitand-exciting.html

Products/People

Throughout my day I read some articles on marketing, moving businesses forward, the need for technology, use of social media, and the decisions to strive forward as an organization in our digital age.

I also looked at the proposed budget for our church's next fiscal year, read two articles on technology and worship and looked to form my own un-biased (as in not team formed) opinion on what I believe the value of technology is as it relates to worship experiences.

There were a couple of things that stood out to me in my thinking, but the concepts that I boiled most of my thinking down to was a comparison of "products" and "people."

I've watched people study all the fancy products.  I've been instructed, pushed, convinced, debated, and had conversation about how the new technology will really help our experiences.  And for all intensive purposes (remember this is the opinion in my head), I'm actually pretty technologically savvy and enjoy technology.

I've seen numerous technologies sit around wasted because nobody knows how to draw the value out of them.  Or people don't recognize that a high price tag and high function doesn't mean low work.  It usually also means high training, high knowledge and lots of planning.

Many experts in most technology fields continuously argue that a person with expertise and sub-par equipment is far more valuable than high-end equipment with sub-par knowledge.  This is most frequently seen to me first hand with the use of golf clubs.  Clubs help, but a good swing is far more beneficial than high-end clubs.

So how should an organization or in my case a church move forward?  Should limited resources (i said church remember) improve expertise first or equipment first?  Spend money on cross training and new hiring, or on upgrading and new function?

I formed my opinion today (in the choice of product or people), but fortunately don't have to worry about it since I don't control any of that money for our church.

Two Days Re-Opened

Some of you may remember me missing out on an event I was excited about after it took me 48 minutes to respond.  From e-mail to checkout time (for an event that would cost vacation days and a decent chunk of money), 48 minutes from notice was too long and the event had reached its limit.

I had wanted to go, e-mailed pleading for one more spot or to be put on a waiting list, but the response e-mail crushed my dreams.  Full with no waiting list.  Boo.

Fortunately, they opened up a second offering of the event with a different two day timetable.

I responded in 13 minutes and got in.  The event is full, was full the next time I had checked (12 hours after I registered), but this time I have a ticket.  My ticket came in e-mail this morning.

I'm pumped.  I'll be in California May 29th and 30th, but I'll be too busy getting more awesome at my job to hang out with anyone.

Backwards Instincts

It stormed for a brief period today in the North Metro area.  When it does that, I get excited as I love storms and we don't get them often hear.  We rarely get a good thunderstorm like we would when we lived in Florida.

That longing has given me backwards instincts.  Now, when it storms, I run to open the windows hoping to hear and smell the rain.  When most people want to close windows and avoid storms, to watch t.v. and stay up to the minute on the weather alerts, I want to turn off the t.v. and hear the storm, watching it and not listening to anything the t.v. would tell me.

My instincts are backwards from many people's, but I wouldn't want them to change.  I Love Storms.

Wait 50 Days?

The last couple of weeks have exhausted me.  The Easter season wore me out at church.  Many late nights and early morning found my sleep schedule altered (not that it is normally consistent) and my brain function overworked (not that it's hard to get there).

And so, a midst the season of new life, of Resurrection and Spring, I find myself tired, without energy, without "power."

But I understand.  I suppose it was about 50 days after the resurrection that the disciples finally got power.  I mean, they ate with Jesus, reminisced with Jesus, and got excited about seeing him post death, but the power didn't come for 50 days, when finally at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was given to them.

I'm glad to have the Holy Spirit.  Glad He was given to me upon salvation, but part of me still wonders if it will take me 50 days to regain my energy.

A Prophecy Fulfilled

Kentucky Basketball fans can be a little crazy.  I'm a UK fan, but not typically as crazy as some of the others.

But my brother is crazy!

If you want to know what freshman in high school Kentucky is thinking of recruiting, he can give you the low down.  If you are interested into which top 10 recruits are having second thoughts and UK is even barely in the picture, he'll know.

He likes to share the knowledge with anyone who will listen.  Even if they only remotely understand the value or care.  I listen.

Don't get me wrong, I make fun of him for it, but I listen.  So, with that said, I can tell you without a doubt that my brother is the first person who ever told me UK would win the championship this year.

He didn't tell me a few weeks ago, when they were ranked first in the nation.  Didn't tell me in the preseason when UNC and UK were considered a class above everyone else.  Didn't even tell me last year when they fell just short but had a couple guys commit to staying another year.

It wasn't during the run two years ago with John Wall and Demarcus Cousins.  But it was during that season.  Two years ago, during the season my brother told me that this would be the year UK would win. That their talent would be good that year after Calipari got a couple recruits to follow him, that the next year they would again recruit the top class in the country, but that in Calipari's third year, this year, they would have their most talented team yet.

Two years ago, looking at the juniors in high school, and before Anthony Davis was a household name even to recruit, my brother told me this would be their year.

I was listening.

Well Done Jason.  Well Done Kentucky!

24 Hours

In 24 hours I'll know if Kentucky Basketball was successful in reaching their potential this year.

I will focus on little else for the next 24 hours.