In uncategorized on September 27, 2007 by karlo
On Wednesday mornings, I usually wake up at 5:30am to have breakfast with ‘the guys’. It’s one of my favorite parts of the week, worth getting up a few hours earlier than normal for. As soon as I get up in the morning my mind starts going on what all I have to do today, and what I have to do to prepare for it. I had a particularly hard time getting to sleep Tuesday night because my mind kept going through the order of things to do the next day.
I had breakfast with the guys, met with some students, and then headed to a local middle school. I found out from my friend the principal that this was the morning to do bus evacuation drills, and asked if I wanted to help. Sweet. Helping kids jump out of a faux fiery bus near death experience. Count me in.
But here’s the thing. Of all the things I thought I would be doing on Wednesday morning, helping kids jump out of a fake doom was not one of them – in fact, it was at the bottom of the list. I think a lot of Christians that when faced with something not on their agenda for the day, we can come up with a lot of excuses – I’ve never ridden a bus before, I have poor upper arm strength, I don’t like kids, someone else is paid to do that, blah blah. On the whole, we think about acting a lot more than we actually act. If you’re spending time in the Word and with Jesus, you’re prepared for a lot more than you think. Next time you get a chance to act & serve, step up and do it. Word.
Nobody likes being sick, especially me. Thanks to fall coming in early like an I don’t know what, my body is shutting down (over dramaticization required). I once took a daytime cold medicine and later found out the hard way that I’m allergic to the dye that makes it orange. Lame. However, I may spend my afternoon working at the Coffee & Tea Room with a big pot of Colonille tea. Not lame.
on September 18, 2007 by karlo
A little home update. Bethany and I signed our end of a house contract yesterday, finally. It’s been a crazy few weeks; I think we’ve walked through about 15 total houses so far. As tiring and despairing as it can be (“why can’t we just find one?”), every house helped us solidify a bit more just what we were looking for, and what things were negotiable/non-negotiable. That same feeling out of negotiable/non-negotiable is pretty much the same things that’s been happening with me ministry-wise here in Williamsport, too.
Stepping into a new ministry always takes time to figure everything…and in actuality, I’m stepping into three new ministry positions. Our church is in a state of simplifying things, based off the the book Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. Figuring out what are the better things for a ministry or church is vital to the health and effectiveness of that ministry.
So if things move along as they should, we should be moving into our first home in a month. Awesome.
on September 14, 2007 by karlo
In Uncategorized on September 6, 2007 by karlo Tagged: quoting
“Thinking outside the box isn’t nearly as productive as building a bigger one.”
Seth Godin
I’m sitting at an open mic night at my old hang out spot of a coffee shop. We didn’t know it was open mic night, or Beth and I wouldn’t have picked the seat in the front row; but oh well. We’re rocking the power couple dual laptops, so it’s all good. This made me think, though.
The host, after welcoming everyone, proceeded to apologize for just about everything: forgetting equipment, rules for the night, playing the same songs all the time, new strings, etc etc. I’ve been in that position before – it can be hard to be in front of a group of people you don’t know. But qualifying and apologizing for everything under the sun can be such a turn off. I hope this isn’t an attitude that we carry into church – wanting to invite friends or family, but apologizing for whatever, in hopes of dulling the possible experience awaiting. Instead, why not let the message speak for itself? I hope that as a leader I can let the Message speak for itself, rather than qualifying even apologizing for what may in store. Because what may be in store just might change someone’s life.
on September 4, 2007 by karlo
- Penn State massacred Florida International today. I’m glad they had an explosive first game to set up the season. Even if FIU didn’t win a game last year.
- Saw Appalachian State beat Michigan at home. Biggest upset in college football history? Maybe. I’ll tell my kids I was there. Or watched it on TV.
- I love the Coffee & Tea Room & using their internet is also a plus, since my folks still have dial-up (yes, it still exists).
- Saw three more houses today – unimpressed. House hunting is tough, especially looking for the first one with little money. Praying that God will lead us to the right place.
- Had a great day of college ministry at Penn College on Thursday. More on that this week.
- After reading Gary Lamb’s quest for a tank with the right animal inside, I’m embarking on my own hunt as well. I want jellyfish that glow under a black light. If you have a tank for sale, let me know.
on September 1, 2007 by karlo
