I like strategies. I like having a plan of attack and sticking to it. I like knowing what the goals, purposes, vision and direction of my ministry look like. In fact, for years I’ve rang the bell of ‘junior high ministry needs to, and can be, more strategic!’ Believe me; I have no plans to abandon my plans. However I’m beginning to wonder if, because of the brief season of ministry time we have with our students (2-3 years max) and their unique developmental stage, too much strategy actually hurts our ministry to young teens rather than helps it. Maybe part of our strategy needs to include room to be un-strategic. Maybe we need to leave room for spontaneity, last minute changes, creative alternatives and that kind of stuff. Maybe there’s a place for the strategically un-strategic.

…our marriage, that is. Next Thursday, June 1st, marks 15 years of marriage to Rachel. I’m sure on that day I’ll post something more significant. For now, though, I’m frantically trying to think of a last-minute, affordable weekend getaway. We had originally decided not to do anything special, but then two days ago one of us said “hey, why the heck aren’t we doing something special for our 15th….” and thus the frantic effort to create a memorable time away for next weekend began. Creative ideas, insider tips and offers of the use of your time-share now being accepted.

I’m posting late today, but I’m posting with a mission. On my way to an off-site meeting early this morning a few of us began talking about blogs. Being new to the blogging world, I didn’t know that there was actually blog etiquette that I needed to be aware of. Apparently, one such item is the practice of giving a parenthetical hat tip or (ht…) at the end of a post in which you use material from another blog. I’ve noticed that several of the blogs I have started to read do, in fact, utilize the ‘ht’ as a way of giving credit. This is all fine…Except for the fact that NOBODY in real life ever actually tips his or her hat to someone anymore. What is this, 1850? For cryin’ out loud, isn’t there a more modern way to acknowledge somebody than with a cyber tipping of one’s hat?

I officially pronounce (at least on my blog, anyway) the end of the Hat Tip (ht) and will replace it with something that, while not a perfect substitute, is at least somewhat more appropriate for our times. On my site, I will use a parenthetical SO, or ‘Shout Out’, to give credit when borrowing from another blog. I fully recognize that Shout Out will become a dated term in the near future, but the fact that we are currently using Hat Tip leads me to believe I have close to a century before I need to worry about being outdated.
(SO to myself)

Some poor guy was sitting around when the lightbulb went off in his head. He pulled together a few ‘advisers’ and rounded up enough money to start the patent process on this amazing new invention! Surely, it would change the world of piggy back rides as we know it. Instead, he has become the victim of an endless stream of ‘Broke Back Mountain’ jokes.

For almost 3 years, I’ve been in a graduate school Co-hort program at Vanguard University. I really can’t think of a better approach to pursuing a graduate degree at this stage of my life, but it has really been a struggle. It’s been a struggle primarily because of this stage of my life! Going back to school in my late 30′s sounded like a good idea at the time! In a couple of weeks, I’ll finish my final class which leaves me with only a Thesis and exit exam left. I believe in finishing strong; I’ve preached that principle, coached others on that principle and have lived by that principle for most of my life. But for some reason, I’m finding it almost impossible to apply that principle to my final stretch of grad school. Instead of finishing strong and sprinting toward the finish line, I find myself crawling slower than ever with the hope that if I can somehow make it to the end, a grace-giving scholar will place a diploma in my tired little hands. A diploma, I might add, that I will then tuck away in a drawer so I can get back to life exactly as it was 3 years ago.

I drive a 1991 toyota 4×4 that was given to me by a friend. It’s been a super reliable mode of transportation as well as a good truck for haulin’ surfboards, mountain bikes and other junk. But the truth is it’s pretty well beaten up and I feel a little bit embarrased driving it. I guess at 40 I feel like I should have a more respectable ride.

What I want is a new Toyota FJcruiser. They’re pretty affordable and seem to fit my lifestyle. Unfortunately, my wife thinks things like mortgage payments, college funds and food in my kid’s stomachs are a higher priority! So for now I will contently drive my truck until I can figure out a way to convince Rachel that food is over-rated.

Tonight marks the finale of season 5 of ’24′. We’re heading over to a friend’s house for our traditional season finale party. A season’s worth of monday night gatherings culminates with a silly night of dressing like your favorite character and bringing a ’24′-inspired snack. It’s a pretty goofy tradition, but one we all look forward to.

Monday’s are my day off and make a great night for hangin’ out. After ’24′ season is over, we begin having BBQ’s at the beach and surfing every Monday night and those come to an end just in time for our Monday Night Football rotation to start.

A friend just mentioned that he liked the new ‘look’ of this site, but couldn’t figure out how to post a reply. See that little number to the right of each title? That represents how many replies there have been…which is why the numbers are different for each post. To post a reply, just click on that number.

This weekend feels more full than than normal. Maybe it’s because…

Friday:
8:35- 10:00 p.m. Softball game: We got slaughtered. Literally…the ‘slaughter rule’ cut the game short.
10:30 – 1:00 a.m. Boys dodge ball night: We hosted about 150 jr. high boys for two hours of dodge ball.

Saturday:
12:20 – 2:00: Took my son, Cole, to see ‘over the hedge’.
2:30 – 5:00: Writing a student leadership lesson for tonight’s student leadership meeting.
5:30 – 8:00: Saturday night service.
8:00 – 10:00: Student leadership.

Sunday:
8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Sunday morning services
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.: Sunday night service
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.: Jr. High volunteers over to our house for hangin’ out.

Full…but full of good stuff!

Junior Highers and Da Vinci Code? Not so much.
Junior Highers and Nacho Libre? Definately