For my coffee addict friends

For all of you who just need your coffee fix, I ask you... how much do you REALLY know about your coffee?

I can't believe this

I think, inspired by a friend, that I may actually start biking to work.

That just sounds WAY too healthy.

Thanks

By the way...

Today is national "Take your dog to work day."

I love dogs... but can you think of jobs where this may not be a good idea?

Surgeon?

Visa Accepted

Okay, so I think spam is stupid, annoying, and should be somehow outlawed -- and while you are at it, the senders should be hung upside down by their toes with bamboo shoots rammed under their fingernails...

But seriously now, why would anyone EVER think of giving this company your Visa number? ("Well, I got it in my inbox...and they do SAY they are FDA and Visa approved... it must be legit!")

"There are jiffy of life when you are not fully poised in yourself. This can happened because of many many possible reasons work trauma, body fatigue, bad mood or just a bad climate. And the nastiest case is when you can not fulfill the your fiancée. This is when we come to help you and restore your carnal condition and your manhood confidence in our online shop

A down-to-earth reinforcement will help your slight john-doe because a real JOHNDOE making your mate shriek from a pleasure.

Easy to use with flawless price (up to 30% money off comparing with similar products). Shipped in tasteful box with 1 day distribution."

I'm guessing the phrase "restore your carnal condition" is about whether or not a Christian can lose his/her salvation? Seems like an odd place for a theological argument, but those wacky spammers!

Inner life...

"Natural gifts, such as personal charisma, mental brightness,, emotional strength, and organizational ability can impress and motivate people for a long time. Sometimes they can be mistaken for spiritual vitality and depth. Sadly, we do not have a Christian culture today that easily discriminates between a person of spiritual depth and a person of raw talent...

"We must always be aware that there are leaders who can build great organizations (including churches) on natural gifts. Say the right words, be smart enough to do the right things, be insightful enough to connect with the right people, and one can go a long way before anyone ever discovers that the inner life is close to empty."

(from Gordon McDonald, "Ordering Your Private World")



This book has been one of "those" books in my life. I have read it several times... each time gaining something I didn't before. If you have not read it, and especially if you are a "type A" personality, I think it is require reading. The premise of the book is that many people spend a lot of time and energy working on their outer world (what they project to others) and neglect the real inner one... who they really are before God. McDonald compellingly calls us to live with integrity... it is a challenging book for me.

Interesting note though: Just a few years after this book was published (it has sold over 1 million copies), McDonald had an affair. Here he was, telling pastors to order their private lives... and he was not ordering his own. I remember when I found this out (years ago at my first church) -- I had just read the book and made some changes to my life... then found this out. I was in despair.

"Man, if the guy who wrote the book on it can't do it..."

Being a person of faith is always harder than talking about it.

Happy Birthday to Kevin

Today is Kevin J. birthday. Make sure you bug him... sing to him... especially if you sing off key.

Still trying to get you to talk...

Just go and appease him.

1/4 of a life

This morning I drew a timeline of my life. I know, that sounds strange... but I did. And it dawned on me, that I have spent a 1/4 of my life in Athens at my current job. That just seems strange to me.

Think of all the years you spend as a child... how long childhood seems to last. Or the teen years, which seemed to last forever when you are in them. Heck, band practice seemed to last forever! I have spent twice as much time here than I did in college... yet college was such a mile-marker in my life. I have been here 3 years longer than I was at my first church when I left.

So I have been working through some questions I found this summer and wrote in my journal. They are from a book called, "Half-time," and where, quite honestly, I was not all that crazy about the book, the questions are good.

Here is the one I worked through this morning: "Am I missing anything in my life that might be important?"

Most of my reflections centered on health/weight... as if I am going to be effective/functional in the second half of my life, I need to address this now (Or yesterday).

But you know what I really want as well? Friendships. Not short term, but long term. I realized the other day that I have no friends in my life (other than my wife) who have been close to me for a long time. My friend Brian from seminary is probably the longest friendship I have had that I still (somewhat) keep in touch with... but I have no friends from HS or college that I still see regularly.

A while back, I was at a birthday party for a couple of friends (Mdog was one of them!)... and I realized that those people around that circle were, perhaps, some of my closest friends I have had in my life... and some of the longest. And it just felt right to be there.

More and more, I think I'm willing to give up a lot for long term friendship. Yes, I could move to a bigger church and get paid more... I could have more "adventure" in my life and ministry... but it is more important to me to have my daughter know my friends.

It would be wonderful if these friends I have now were in my life in 20 years.

Athens isn't the best place to get a job... or even to "grow" a church. So what? Whoever said that a job is the most important thing?

So as part of my mid-life crisis, I'm asking my friends to stick around. I would like to grow old with you if that is okay.

Edited post

So I posted something the other day and then removed it. I decided to re-post it, although I deleted two sentences... but you get the gist of it!

______________

So this is going to be one of those posts that my professors in seminary would tell me not to write. "Always keep your distance, don't be too vunlnerable with people."

I turn 39 soon. Wow, even looking at that feels old. I almost wrote "29."

For me, turning 29 was harder than turning 30. Turning 30 was eclipsed by coming to my current job. In many ways it was a "promotion." I was moving. I was young. I was being watched by my superiors. I was the up and coming thing...AND I felt in the center of God's will (even if it was one of the hardest things I have ever done.)

Now I'm no longer young. Yes, I know I'm not "old"... but I'm not young. And I have passed up some opportunities to move "up the ladder" in my career for staying right where I am. While I wouldn't say I'm no longer "successful" in some sense, I haven't lived up to my own expectations as a pastor. My church, as much as I love it and as much as I am committed to it... isn't where I thought it would be after 9 years here. And I can't blame anyone but... well... me. (Pastors joke that the first 3 years in a church, you can blame most of the bad stuff on the person who came before you... it's not true, but at least you can use it as an excuse!)

I wonder if I make a difference sometimes. I know I do... and people do tell me... but you know... there is always the, "I could be doing more." Maybe it's "I could be being more."

I'm really not sure what brought this on. This has been a "mid-life crisis year" for me! (Maybe that is why I rent convertibles at conferences!) But physically I feel terrible. I'm really overweight and the only person I have been able to sustain a regular workout routine with is now moving!

Now, here is the thing... I still love my job, and I have what must be considered the "good life..." In many ways I'm pleased with my life. In fact, there is a good chance I will wake up tomorrow and I will have a totally different attitude. But right now I just feel really raw. Does that make sense?

Some pastor is trying to get us to talk...

Just go and appease him.

For the record...

I woke up this morning... and don't feel any different.

I have been put in my place

A friend of mine had some surgery this week on his vocal cords. I really felt bad that I could not be there at his surgery (AND that I had to miss it to sit through annual conference -- see previous posts), but I knew after the surgery he could not talk so calling him didn't make a lot of sense.

So I called him and left a message on his machine this afternoon. Told him how we should get together and talk. Went on and on about missing talking with him. [snicker, snicker]

I just got a phone call... and I checked my caller ID... it was from him! He was calling.

And I'm thinking, "How in the @#$@ is he calling me?"

I have very smart friends.

Annual Conference Summary

I was tempted to put the heading as "Exciting things that happened at Annual Conference this year..." and then leave the body of this post blank, but that would not be quite as true as the humor would suggest...

Annual Conference is a once a year meeting of all the pastors and equal representatives from churches and districts. We have around 1,400 pastors (all don't make it) and an equal number of lay people... so around 3,000ish people show up. Seems to me that there were less this year... but still a honking lot of people.

We meet at Lakeside, Ohio... a beautiful location, but lousy do work in as the facilities are WAY too inadequate and it is so darn beautiful that you never want to actually BE in sessions to do the work you are supposed to be doing. For the past couple of years there have been petitions to move our meeting to a conference center in Columbus. I have mixed feelings about that... as Lakeside is really pretty... but it is hard to get any real work done.

There are worship services, lots and lots and lots and lots of reports, and we do some legislation... and then there are some reports, and ordination services... and did I mention the reports (from every stinking committee and ministry every created?), recommendations from our conference to government leaders, the larger United Methodist Church, etc.

Honestly, I get really cynical at Annual Conference. There were a couple of years I got so SICK of all the politics and infighting that I left... one year I went home the first day and didn't come back.

So this year something really strange happened.

It was a kinder, gentler conference.

Now, don't get me wrong, some of the debates were the only things to keep most of us awake. Secretly, many people (in both camps) enjoy them as, at least they are interesting. The debate is usually over homosexuality, and it often gets VERY heated. And people (usually in the more liberal camp) do demonstrations, etc, to get noticed and it usually feels very manipulative to me... (not the the more conservative camp is any better... they are just rude). And I understand why. It is a tough and heated issue.

But this year, much to (I think) all of our surprise, people were... well...civil.

Maybe even a bit more Christ-like.

This year... well... we seemed to put our guard down a bit.

There was more honestly.

I liked it.

I think Jesus did too.

Mdog is my friend

So if my memory serves me right, mdog has a good friend moving today. And I'm betting she could use some cheer. So visit her... and tell her you love her.

I just want to say to her and everyone that I (well..."we," meaning that my wife agrees with my sentiments) think that she is a terrific person and a great friend. And we are hoping for years, and years, and years with her as our neighbor and friend. (Although the fence made a statement that she wants to keep her distance.)

We love you Maria. We hope our friendship goes on and on and on and on and on and on...

Much like this conference, but less boring.

and I thought my service was long

So a couple of weeks ago we had a worship service that was just over 2 hours long. Senior testimonies, Communion, sermon, extended worship set... yea, it was long.

But I'm sitting in a worship service that has been just over 2 hours and 10 minutes long already... and we are FAR from done. And I'm leaving.

testing

why is this blank? is it still?

my greatest fear...

is that my computer battery is quickly dying... leaving me with no connection to the outside world, no way to escape this reality in which I am currently trapped.

I really need to buy a secondary battery.

why?

Why do people who create Powerpoint slides think that putting a bunch of pictures (usually overlapping) on the same slide is effective?

And do we really need to use every time of wipe and dissolve available in every presentation?

must... sleep... or... have... caffeine

Latest update from Annual Conference....

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

more news from the front

now we are working on an amendment to the amendment

Worried about high gas prices?

Well, this is one solution...

our agenda so far

Let me see... so far...

Treasurer's Report
Board of Pension and Health Benefits Report
Legislation #17 - Board of Pensions and Health Benefits
Chancellor's Report
Report on the United Methodist Children's Home

Oh my.

I don't fit

So I'm here at Annual Conference, and once again I realize how little I fit in. I'm not saying that in a whining way -- I have friends who use "not fitting in" as a badge of honor ("Oh look, I'm so special I don't fit into any category!")

I just say it as an observation.

Theologically, I don't fit with my conservative friends (my old camp) because I refuse to see God as that rigid. I also don't fit that camp politically anymore in some ways. But I don't fit into the liberal camp... I can't see God as that "open." I believe in truth (even if we can't always know it).

Worship style. I am really struggling here... lots of robes and liturgy. And that is fine... but it's just not me. But I'm not into the "Jesus makes me happy" contemporary Christian stuff. Really, that is fine too... there are seasons where that fits... I'm just not there.

I am on the committee to plan this conference next year. That scares me. Because on a scale of 1 to 10 -- level of satisfaction with what is happening -- I'm about a 2. I would guess most people are about a 7-8. So my thought is just scrap everything and start fresh. The odds of that happening are slim to none.

Blogger is freaking out right now...

My next Job

COLUMBUS, Ohio:

With all the violence on T-V and in the movies these days, there's a never-ending demand for dead guys in Hollywood. Where do they find these bodies? One place to look is DeadBodyGuy.com.

Chuck Lamb of Columbus, Ohio has set up a Web site showing photos of himself pretending to be dead. He hopes casting agents will notice.

In one shot, he's slumped over a table, oozing fake blood. In another, he pretends to be crushed under his garage door.

Lamb says he can "lay around with the best of them." And if you don't believe him, he says to ask his wife.