Thursday, June 29, 2006

DAY TRIP!!!



Today was a fun day for me. I have been spending most of the last week hanging out with my dad and family here in Cedar Falls, Iowa. One of the things that we made sure to plan this year was some kind of day trip. We had talked about different things like Canoeing, Movies, and other things but we really wanted to try to do something that was uniquely Iowa as well as a special experience for the both of us. We found it.




Today, my dad and I made the two hour treck to the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa. I had watched the movie in preparation for our quest and it did not disappoint. Now I know that some of you may think="What's the big deal? It's just a baseball field, right?!?" To think this way is an indictment on the state of America today. To take from the movie, "Baseball has stood the test of time. Baseball is what has spanned the generations." Plus, I LOVE the movie. There was something spiritual about sitting on top of the bleachers along the first base line with my dad; Walking out to left field where Shoeless Joe Jackson had patrolled during the film; it was great for me and my dad to pose at home plate, bat in hand, as if we were ready to take a shot and wink at the picture just before our triumphant moment in the sun. It was an experience that I will take with me and treasure for the rest of my life. I hope that I will be able to go again someday and will definitely take the time to take my kids if I am blessed.

We also went on up the road to Dubuque, Iowa to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. We spent almost 4 hours exploring the grounds and what an amazing time we had here as well! It was fun to go through and learn about the great river, its history and its animal life. We also got to learn about some of the riverboat history and got to walk through and interact with a dredging boat that helps to maintain the speed and efficiency of the Mississippi. I, of course, picked up souvenirs from all of these places and look forward to sharing pictures.








Next on the list: Superman Returns, Friday at the IMAX theater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and then on to Fourth of July happenings with my mom's side of the family.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

SUMMER TRIP-DAY 17!!!


I am finding that one of the hardest things to do is get in front of a computer each day to write about some of the amazing things that I am doing. For example, in the last week since I have written, I have gone through another 3 days of an amazing Student Development Conference at IWU that has hopefully inspired me to greatness=God give me the strength to follow through on even HALF of the ideas that I have floating around in my head and it could be a great year. As I was leaving the conference, I ran into my old desk manager in Williams=Nate Lamb!!! He is such an amazing man of God that has really devoted his life to his family. I am humbled that I was allowed to have any kind of role in his development. It was great to reminisce about some good times in Bill Hall!!! If you think of it, please send up a quick prayer for him as they just added a member to their family=Lauren (she's such a cutey!) as well as for Nate as he is beginning Grad School!
Last Monday night, I got to go to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game-which was a ton of fun=my first Triple A game! Tuesday night had a barbeque with some great friends in Indy-Wed I got to have lunch with my great friend Brian Day in Kokomo and tour a couple's AMAZING home that has been a continuing project over the last 10 years, and then THURSDAY=I got to see Toad the Wet Sprocket in concert at a great club in Broad Ripple called the Vogue!!!


This was a great moment for me to have some time to hang out with Jeremy and listen to some great music. Toad hasn't really toured together in about 2 years and it was at least 4 years before that-choosing to each focus on solo careers and other things. Toad has always been a band that I have identified with and actually play their Greatest Hits CD, P.S., to relax to and even as background music to clean my apartment. There has always been something inspirational and soothing about their music. It was a great time and I am so thankful that Jeremy and I got to share it.

As many of you know, I am inclined to reflect on things, and this post is no different. As I was spending some QT in Indiana, I realized that I have no idea when I will be back in Indiana again. I spent so much time hating the state and resisting the "Hoosier" label that it kind of grew on me. I mean, I spent over 9 years of my life there. I still have a large group of friends there who some could be called family (I hope that you know who you are!). Also, Indiana provided a good starting point to visit friends in Michigan and Ohio and it was a pretty sobering thought to not have any idea when I might be seeing some of those people again. Next year marks the ten year anniversary of my college graduation, which is traditionally celebrated at Homecoming. The problem is that I don't get a lot of vacation and I am pretty busy with my own college schedule responsibilities and so I doubt that I will make a trip to IWU next Fall. We shall see. At this point, no one is really talking about it. So, here's to Indiana=God has used this state to shape me and teach me things that make me the man that I am today and I am thankful for all of it! To everyone still behind, know that I take with me the memories and lessons in my heart and thank each and everyone of you for the part that you played in my life!

To quote one of my favorite Toad songs: "I will not take these things for granted!"

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

ACSD National-DAY ONE

Monday marked the first official day of my journey inside the Association for Christians in Student Development's 2006 National Conference at my alma mater, Indiana Wesleyan University. As you might expect, I have been flooded with all sorts of different emotions regarding my return to this campus, as I have both worked here & been shown the door here with a pink slip in hand, as well as having been a student here for 4 and a half years. I also have added to the mix that I spent 2 and a half years working just 20 min's up the road-So I have spent a considerable time of my late 20's and early 30's involving this little patch of corn in rural Indiana and it has actually been fun to relive some of those memories and share bear hugs with some of the great friends that I still have here. I am sure that there will be future blogs regarding some of my memories and reflections on my time here in Indiana but for today, I want to reflect on the first day of the conference and some of the things that I took away from the opening night keynote speach by Dr. John Maxwell.
I ended up taking two legal-sized pages of notes so I will not overwhelm anyone with all of those thoughts but I will try to break it down. Now, it needs to be said that I generally do not care for some of Maxwell's stuff. He has some great ideas but I just feel that he really could have stopped at one book instead of how ever many he has put out because they all feel like regurgitated ideas from the first book. That is just my opinion-This is my blog and I am entitled to it!

Anyway, he did have some good things to say that inspired me to reflect on my ministry at McMurry and it was fun to be sitting with the folks from Abilene Christian University during the speech. Here are some snipits of what I came away with:

"Leaders make the position-A leadership position doesn't make a person a leader."

Leadership equals Servanthood=How can I lead through service in my current
position?


[ ] How can I better serve my RA's? Have I changed enough to be ready/credible to make a difference & be an Agent for Change at McMurry?

[ ] Can my vision/Passion allow me to stay in Abilene long term?

[ ] Can I stay in Abilene and still be involved in the ministry of Student Development?

[ ] What new opportunities can I explore this Fall? This Spring?!?

"We teach what we know, but reproduce what we ARE....."

[ ] Do what have managers or leaders at McMurry?

Managers=Manage the Status Quo
Leaders=Prepare Way For Change
Pursue Excellence

Climbing Ladders OR Building Bridges

Self/Competition --- Relationships
Steal from Others --- Add Value

POSITION=If you're not enough without it-You'll never be enough with it.

These are just some of the things from DAY ONE which was only a HALF day-just think about how much more I am going to be learning now that we are into the seminar portion!!!

Saturday, June 03, 2006

JOE & ANGIE'S WEDDING DAY!!!


Today was a very long but amazing day for me. I got to see my brother Joe get married. I would have to say that Joe and I are the closest of all of my brother's and it was a great thing to see him so happy. I have been blessed to be a part of many weddings and I feel honored that I seem to be the guy to have the "gut check" conversation with the groom right before he walks down the aisle. I was able to do this with Joe today. I enjoyed being able to talk with him through his nervousness, excitement, and joy. As times like these always do with me, I just found myself thinking a lot about times with Joe in the past, ways that I've seen him grow into a man that I love and am proud of, as well as being thankful for the many blessings that God has allowed me to be a part of in my life. This wedding was a blessing and I am so proud of the commitment that Joe and Angie have made to each other today. I have to admit that I teared up a little when the pastor shared some of the reasons that Joe and Angie said they loved each other. All in all, today made me so thankful for my family, my friends, and the possibilities of deeper friendships and opportunities to come!