Playing my ‘part-time’ part well.
August 13, 2008
To say this week has been a busy week is an understatement. My life is often times fairly hectic given the numerous responsibilities I carry between my real job at GSA and my work at the church. The regular preaching pastor is on vacation this week and so a couple of months ago I volunteered to fill the pulpit. What I was reminded of again is how difficult it is to split my time and energy between two functions that require so much of both.
I know how much time I have to spend at GSA (44 hours this week) and the real tension comes from how much time I have to prepare the sermon(not enough…or at least not as much as I’d like). For me that includes much meditation, prayer and studying of the text (this week it’s Philippians 2:1-13) before I even get to putting the sermon together. It’s difficult for me to feel as if I can get into the process when I’ve only got snippets of time to dedicate to the sermon. The only time I do have to really work on the sermon is after a long day at work, and the last thing I want to do is sit down at a computer after a long day sitting down at a computer, not to mention take time away from my wife to do so.
I remember Tim Keller saying on time that to become a better preacher, it’s better to preach 3 times a week, spending 6 or 7 hours on each sermon than to preach 1 time, spending 20 hours on that one sermon. I know that I’m learning through this process, and I know that at the end of the day, the sermon will come together, even if I have to spend a lot of time on Saturday to get it done. This week has also reminded me how much I depend upon the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Scriptures and empower my words when I preach. That no matter how much time I put in the sermon, without him it’s just a bunch of words and good intentions.
I remember Matt Chandler saying once that we need to play our part well, whatever it may be. For me, in this season, I need to play my ‘part-time preaching’ part well….as well as my ‘full-time GSA’ part well. Knowing that I can depend upon Christ to meet me where the tension is at its worst…and being confident that he will not let me down.
Kansas City Update….Tuesday Morning
June 17, 2008
Nothing real exciting happening the last couple of days. I’m just trying to stay awake. I’ve pretty much checked out, which is sad since I still have 4 days to go. Spent most of the morning like I’ve spent all the mornings, checking my email and reading the news. I have to pipe up every now and then and ‘contribute’ to the discussion as part of our grade (yes we’re being graded) includes class participation.
Couple quick thoughts on a beautiful Tuesday morning:
1. Saw Indiana Jones last night and enjoyed it. I like that it kept the same spirit as the other movies in the series. Luckily I remembered to wear my Movie Theater Monitor sash last night, as I had to tell the large group of junior high kids sitting behind me and another family to be quiet twice. Junior High kids are nuts.
2. Random sighting of a high school classmate: I’m sitting by the pool at my hotel last night eating dinner (in Kansas City) when all of the sudden I hear a familiar voice ask a group of girls to my right where a good steakhouse might be. It was none other than a guy named Raymond who I went to high school with. I was so shocked I just hid behind my book… The LAST place I would ever expect to run into a high school classmate is sitting poolside at the Holtze Executive Suites in Kansas City. What are the chances?
3. Speaking of pools, parents shouldn’t let their 10 year old daughters wear skimpy bikinis….EVER! Seriously, it’s your daughter! What are you thinking?!? I don’t even know what to say.
4. Finally, there was a recent story on msnbc.com (can’t find it now) about a man changing his name to ‘In God We Trust’, which I thought was kind of fun. To all my readers out there (all 3 of you), if you were to change your name, what would you pick and why? Here are a couple names I’m considering:
- I Hate Kansas City – based upon current feeling only….I’d probably regret it later, kinda like a tattoo of a former lover.
- I Love My Wife - a true statement, and would definitely pay dividends over time (wink wink).
- Never Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth – That’s good advice right there…something we all need to be reminded of….constantly!
Time to contribute again!
Kansas City…End of Week 1
June 13, 2008
Well, I’m finally done with week 1 of the class. We got out early today too, which was nice.
Today was a pretty laid back day. While the class watched a video on organizational change filmed sometime before 1992, I read a hilarious article from one of my favorite sports writers named Bill Simmons on last night’s NBA finals game (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index). The post-video discussion involved the instructor somehow using his divorce as an example. It was strangely uncomfortable to say the least, and got even more so after one my classmates asked how long he had been divorced (3 or 4 years) and then told him he needed to ‘Get Over It’. Now THAT’s what I call entertainment. Enjoy the weekend!
Kansas City on a Friday Morning…
June 13, 2008
I’ve finally made it to Friday, which was made all the better by the perfect double tall vanilla latte I just finished…which cost me $4. I would complain more but that was a GOOD cup of coffee. Minor tangent: I hate it when the barista hands you back your change and then hangs around right by the tip jar until you leave. Needless to say, I was guilted into dropping in the buck in change I got back. Turned out to be a $5 cup of coffee. Thank you Lord for the per diem I’m getting.
Last night turned about to be a bit exciting. I made it through my very first tornado warning for Johnson County (I’m staying in Johnson county). After class I went over to IHOP (the prayer place, not the pancake place) and had coffee with my sister and spent some time in the worship and prayer room working on a sermon I’m preaching in a couple weeks and spending a little time with Jesus. After getting back to the hotel, I turned on the news and began watching live video (some poor sap in a helicopter and a video camera flying through thunderstorms) as a tornado was touching down about 30 miles to the West of where I am staying….with the storm heading East. Shortly thereafter, off in the distance I heard the tornado sirens going off. It was short-lived however, as the bad part of the storm went north and the warning was downgraded to a ’severe thunderstorm and flash flood’ warning only. I did spend some time in the hotel lobby with all the other guests watching the news and ready to run down the stairs to the basement at a moment’s notice.
After all was said and done, I was treated to an amazing weather night complete with torrential rains, loud thunder, and a fantastic lightning storm. Gotta love Kansas City. A few more random thoughts this morning…
One more reason why I like living on the West Coast: The NBA Finals game don’t start until 8pm local time and last night’s game didn’t get over until about 11pm. I feel sorry for those poor people in Boston who have to stay up until after midnight to watch their beloved Celtics win a fantastic game. The moral of the story: I’m getting old.
One more reason why I’m glad we don’t have cable at home: I was flipping through the channels last night and as I landed on the HBO channel, there was a man balancing on a wire (like a high wire act, except only a couple feet off the ground) on a stage in front of a presumably paying crowd who was taking off his pants while balancing on the wire. Seriously…Who would pay money to watch a man get buck naked while balancing on a wire? I don’t know how it turned out as I flipped the channel quickly. The LAST thing I want to see is some naked dude balancing on a wire. Gotta love HBO…
One hour of class time (wasted) down…who knows how many more to go. Here’s hoping we get out early.
Kansas City Update…Thursday Morning
June 12, 2008
Well…I’m back in class again today and we’re learning about leadership. Currently we’re looking at numbers 6 thru 10 of the ‘20 Fundamentals of Leadership’. Good times. Here are some random thoughts to kick the morning off:
1. Being from the Seattle area, I know all about expensive coffee, and Starbucks usually tops the list. Currently, my tall vanilla latte at Starbucks costs me $3.11. There’s a coffee shop close to where I’m taking this class called PT’s Coffee and I’ve got to be honest, it’s some seriously good coffee. In fact, Pete the barista just won the 2008 award for ‘Best Barista in the Midwest’, which covers 5 states or so. Pretty impressive….almost as impressive as how much they charge for coffee. The price for my tall (12 oz.) vanilla latte this morning….$3.75.
2. Do you want to live in a place that gives you a plethora of choices for your banking needs? Come to Kansas City. There’s a different bank on every corner.
3. Looking for a church? Come to Kansas City. There’s a church on every corner too (right next to the bank).
4. I’m glad that we don’t have cable at our home. Watching any show on MTV for 15 minutes will make you sick.
5. Saw Iron Man yesterday afternoon….really enjoyed it. Stan Lee as Hugh Hefner was classic. Don’t like going to a movie by myself, but it’s better than just sitting in my hotel room and watching tv.
6. Speaking of going to movies by myself, I miss my wife.
Time to pay attention for a couple of minutes…back later…
Kansas City…Thursday afternoon
June 12, 2008
Not much to update really. The most exciting part of the day was the fantastic Panang Curry I had at lunch. One thing I was not expecting was finding good Thai in Kansas City. I was satisfied with finding and enjoying good BBQ. Good Thai is a bonus. Other than that, had to give a quick presentation and hang out in our group for awhile talking about ‘Empowerment’. Trust me, not as riveting as it sounds.
Hopefully, we’ll be done for the day shortly. I’ve had just about enough. I’ll be heading out to the International House of Prayer for awhile to hang out in the worship and prayer room and work on a sermon. Then, back to the hotel room for some leftover Thai and NBA finals basketball. Not a bad evening, actually. I’m more half done with the first half of the two week class. That sounds a lot better than saying I still have 9 days to go. Every little bit helps…
Kansas City Update 3…Undercover Video
June 11, 2008
We’re working our way through some presentations this afternoon. After a presentation, I tried to discreetly nab some video with my cell phone so you can see the instructor in action. The video is horrible (halfway through I had to hide the phone from view to keep it hidden), but hopefully gives you just a taste of what’s going on. As for the topic, the instructor is discussing a recent conversation with his ex-wife (Don’t ask how we got onto that topic…)
UPDATE: Can’t upload the video at this time. I’ll try and post it later for your viewing pleasure
ANOTHER UPDATE: Here it is. The volume isn’t very high and video is sketchy. Oh well….
Kansas City Update 2
June 11, 2008
We actually just did something worthwhile! But I just found out we didn’t do it right. We can’t win…
We were told by the the instructor to read a case study, discuss with our group and answer the questions at the end….check! We started answering the questions he was asking when he stated: “Well, apparently you didn’t read the case.”
Us: We read the case!
Him: Did you read the court decision documents after the case?
Us: Um..no. Did you tell us to?
Him: No. But don’t worry, you’ll get it all figured out soon.
So we weren’t told to read the other packet even though we were supposed to, but we shouldn’t worry because we’ll get it all figured out soon? I have no idea what that means and how to respond, let alone what we’re going to get figured out. I’m baffled…and hungry. I can’t wait for lunch, which was supposed to begin 15 minutes ago….
Kansas City Update 1…
June 11, 2008
The instructor just spent twenty minutes asking each lady in the class if she would go on a first date with a guy who used a coupon for the meal. Wondering if he’s checking out his prospects? He asked me for my thoughts on what everyone said, and I just said, “No Comment”. I’m not touching that with a 10 foot pole. This conversation was apparently in support of our current topic this morning: Risk Assessment.
So far today I’ve checked my email about 20 times and got caught up on the current news. The instructor’s lips are moving, but I’m not hearing a thing…I wonder what I’m going to do for lunch?
