Seniors- Boston may be cold but they've got a great school!

Check out Eastern...three words...A-MAZ-ING.

Some cool people...

I'm going to miss my babes (Coy and Kirra)while on the road...love you! See you in a few days.

Timing

We all feel inadequate at times. My day was today. I was putting together a message for a college chapel and two others for an event in Boston (Festival of Life). I couldn't get past these feelings of defeat today, like I had nothing really great to offer...I was feeling tapped. That's when I got a facebook notification that I had received a message from a student-- one that I met at a Group Workcamp about six years ago. She had read my book and wanted to share with my how my life had impacted hers many years ago and she found herself encouraged to enter into youth ministry because of me. The timing was so good. I hope she knows the indelible mark she has left on my heart. That's what encouragement does, it lifts us up and gives us strength to keep going. Thanks Stephanie. You rock. I'm going to encourage someone today like you've encouraged me.

This man deserves a raise!

Rob Leth of Global News Toronto gets owned by a sled during a live piece...I couldn't resist.

Oh Maya

She's always saying profound things...

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it. –Maya Angelou

I read this in a book called Standing Tall by C. Vivian Stringer (Head Women's Basketbal Coach at Rutger's)

Baseball

Yesterday was Kirra's birthday. Since we don't have any family living close we didn't have anything major planned for her, but something fun and spontaneous did come up. Our friend Steve stopped by my office at 5 yesterday and said "wanna go to a baseball game?" Coy and I aren't huge baseball fans but I saw it as an opportunity to do something special on Kirra's big day. So we packed up Kirra and headed to Disney's Wide World of Sports complex (about 35 minutes away) and watched the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals play. There was a foul ball in the fourth or fifth inning that flew up above our heads and bounced off the upper level, it shot back down and landed snuggly between my back and my chair. There were people scrambling for it but I calmly pulled the ball from behind my back. It was mine. I couldn't believe it! The guys behind me said "nice catch". It was way too easy, and funny, especially for the season ticket holders who usually sit there and haven't caught a ball yet. I think it was the calmest ball retrieval in baseball history...like, "what's that in my back, oh, it's a baseball, well I'll be..." Coy and Kirra took a walk to the outfield and we shared shifts of Kirra walking around the stadium when she got bored. All in all, it was a fantastic night and a great way to celebrate Kirra's special day. Thanks Steve for inviting us to watch your team. We had a blast.

March 11th, 2008

Kirra turns one tomorrow. This year has felt like an eternity. In the same breath, I'd like to say "what happened to the time?" This year we've discovered what matters for eternity, the value of a person, and the diversity even one soul can bring to the world. With the passing of this first milestone, I pray Kirra will be able to see us model love to her and to others. I pray she will learn to love the least around her...that she would "play well with others", and most of all, that she could go potty in the big girl potty before she is two. We are super blessed to be Kirra's parents. God is so cool to give us such an amazing gift. Happy Birthday Kirra baby, we love you!

Stuck in the middle- Kansas

Sean Meade and the Stuck in the Middle organization is doing awesome things for middle school students. The Story is a conference just for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders that is breaking the mold of youth conferences by providing an event with middle school development in mind. We'll be hosting the touring event at our church October 17-18 in Lakeland Florida. I can't wait for our students to be able to experience this. Coy, Kirra, and I fly home tonight. Kirra's eczema is flaring up so we're thankful to be flying back to the humidity in a few hours. Humidity, it may be bad for the hair, but it's good for the skin.

Leadership Nuggets

I've been insanely blessed this week to sit in conversation with some of the most progressive, Christ-centered, innovative leaders from around the country at The Forum. I couldn't take notes fast enough. I'll try to blog for the next few days some of the pieces as I have time. There were a few moments when I thought "why didn't someone teach us this stuff in school?"

Tommy Barnett

Everything we need to build a great church...to reach our goals...to fulfill your purpose...to reach the lost...everything we need is already in the house.

Pray for the power to equal your task. If it's God's dream it's bigger than you.

Patrick Lencioni- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Patrick's wisdom on the ministry of management was ridiculously good...more on this later but I recommend the book if you lead any sort of team.

More to come...