The End of 2011

It is officially the last day of 2011!  It is Sabbath as well.  I usually get quite introspective on the final day of the year.  There is something about the passing of the year and entering the new one that causes me pause. 

The year gone by has certainly provided me experiences that will remain etched in my mind for a lifetime.  I have seen the best in people, as well as a side of people that I had not experienced before in the same way.  Being in the position in which I presently serve has been an education.  This completes my first complete calendar year as Superintendent of Education for the Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.  I love the fact that I am involved in something significant.  I must confess that I often wonder what God was thinking when He brought me here.  Certainly there are more qualified and seasoned people out there than me!

But here I am doing what I believe God is leading me to do.  Some unexpected things have taken place in the last twelve months.  Getting asked to serve for a five year term is not the least of these amazing things.  The AAF relationship with TAA has developed quite well and has been a boon to the campus.  The elementary system is beginning to experience some of the adjustments needed if we are going to offer an educational experience worthy of the God who commissioned us.

The New Year 2012 will bring its own brand of experiences and its share of trials and challenges.  But I will trust God to continue to do what He promises to do when He calls us to do a task.  I am honored to be part of the plan.  Thank you for sharing in my sojourn in the desert.

Monday Morning Sickness

It is the day after Christmas and I am a mess!  Too much food and too many family celebrations!  It was non-stop for the entire weekend.   The dress rehearsal took place Friday night for the Christmas Concert the next morning at the Orange SDA Church.  I was asked a few weeks ago to help out.  The fact that my daughter is serving as youth pastor made the answer a foregone conclusion. 

I was not feeling quite well in the voice department, but we trudged through the rehearsal and the program the next morning with only minor glitches.  It was a great time for all.   The concert was followed by a family luncheon at my son’s house to celebrate my granddaughter’s 7^th birthday.  I had already spent Thursday at Disneyland celebrating her birthday as is our yearly tradition (with the accompanying food), but I was not prepared for the onslaught of food that awaited me for Sabbath lunch.

My granddaughter had requested a trip around the culinary world for her birthday—and that is exactly what she got.  My daughter-in-law, who is a trained chef, made food from at least ten countries!  There were at least 40 people there for lunch and we all ate to our heart’s content.  Greek, Italian, Mexican, Swiss, Peruvian, Moroccan, Bolivian, Indian, American and other countries’ foods were represented.  Almost all the food was gone by mid-afternoon.  It was wonderful—topped only by the afternoon conversation with family and friends.

The evening took us to see some Disney fireworks (that were cancelled due to “high level winds” which I am convinced is Disneyland’s way of skipping their pyrotechnic displays whenever they choose to do it.  After all, who can argue with “high level winds” even if one cannot feel a hint of “ground level winds”!  Of course, the night would not have been complete for my children without a visit to Buca di Beppo’s, an Italian restaurant that is a favorite for my entire family, with one notable exception—me.  There was a full table of “immigrant Italian food,” as the establishment describes their menu of hefty offerings.  I did my best not to eat.  I was not totally successful.

The next morning was Christmas and the morning brought a reading of the Nativity Story and gifts for the grandchildren.  It was great morning on that basis alone.  But we had company from out of town and breakfast was served—an endless supply of breakfast burritos!  They were delicious.  I cannot resist breakfast burritos!  The day, however, was just beginning.  At the conclusion of the nuclear family’s Christmas morning festivities we quickly got ready to join the extended family’s traditional children’s gift opening and gift exchange for the cousins and “old folks” (I am in that group now).  As you can imagine by now, no family gathering is complete without food.  So once again there was a house-full of plates and platters of pastries and entrees for all to enjoy prior to the gift exchange.  Too much!

 But the day was not over yet.  I had made a commitment a few days prior to travel to Indio, California to visit my brother, Albert, and his family.  It was fun spending some time with some members of my side of the family.  It was only a matter of time however before I was led like a lemming to the dinner table where my sister-in-law had prepared some Mexican delicacies for me to sample—and by samples I mean piles of food.  It was delicious!

By the time I got in my Prius later that evening my digestive system was beginning to go into survival mode.  I am much better this morning, but food is not on my agenda in the near future.  In spite of all the excesses and hectic schedules, I am blessed beyond measure to have family and friends.  I got many hugs from loved ones and sat down to talk with people I had not seen for some time. 

God is good all the time.  The Gift keeps giving abundant grace flowing freely from the same heart of God that gifted humanity with that tiny little infant package lying in the trough in that little town of Bethlehem.  May God’s desire for “Peace on Earth and Good Will to humanity” become a reality in our lives today as we anticipate the complete reality in the world made new. 

Visitors from the West

Today is my last planned day in the office.  I will be out of town for the rest of 2011, although I anticipate I will be working most of the days in California—much remains still undone!

I had some special guests in town since Friday.  They provided transportation services for Penny on Friday.  Gary and Susan (and Penny) arrived late Friday afternoon. They ate a meal I had prepared for them.  They are still alive at this writing!  They stayed the weekend at the Westin off Greenway.  I have known Cousin Gary and his wife, Susan for close to two decades—wow, that’s hard to believe!  Our daughters went to school together through La Sierra Elementary and Academy.

Now they will always be remembered as our first and only visitors from California (not counting my mom).  We went to church on Sabbath morning at the Camelback Church.  The TAA choir, string ensemble, and handbells were featured in the main service.  They all did a wonderful job.  I felt very proud!  That afternoon we attended the Glendale Church’s Christmas Concert.  It was wonderful as well.  The church was full and the spirit was amazing.

 The evening took us back to the Camelback Church for the Phoenix Philharmonic Orchestra Ensemble and Choir’s rendition of Handel’s Messiah.  It truly was a memorable night.  The soloists were stellar, although the soprano took the night with her vivacious interpretations of her musical scores.  At the end of the night we were beat and called it a night.  Penny called it a night before the end of the concert!

Sunday was a special in-service day for teaching principals of elementary schools slated for evaluations in the spring of 2012.  Martha, my small school union representative and friend from the Pacific Union led out.  It was good morning and lunch was courtesy of Chipotle’s.  The afternoon included a birthday party for Brianna, a one year old girl in continual motion, followed by a dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.  Line that up with a late breakfast at The Good Egg restaurant and pizza night at the Westin playing “Gone Bananas” with Gary and Susan, followed by another lunch at an all-you-can-eat establishment and I am an inch away from gastronomical collapse.  I am not used to eating so much, although I must confess that I do it so well!

My friends are now off back to California.  Penny and I will launch our year-end break tomorrow.  California is awaiting us with a plateful of activities.  I am looking forward to it, while at the same time hoping for a moment of peace somewhere in the midst of the chaos.  I am determined not to eat more than I should during my time away from the Spartan surroundings of my duplex.  Gotta go!  Duty calls!  See you a few pounds from now!

Comments still welcomed!

Early Friday Morning Report

It’s very early Friday morning.  I enjoyed a day at the office sandwiched around a dentist appointment that I did not enjoy as much.  I didn’t get as much done today as I would have liked, although I did get a lot done.  Next week will be pretty busy before I check out for the holidays.

The big news around the office was the plane crash less than a mile away from the conference office.  A small plane with two passengers went down as it was arriving at the Scottsdale Airport.  Unfortunately there was loss of life—the pilot, with the passenger in critical condition as of this morning.  That anyone survived is a miracle in itself.  I was busy getting some work done so I did not know anything had happened, but my administrative assistance heard a loud crash and assumed it was an auto accident in front of the conference office.  I guess they have happened before, since Scottsdale Road in a very busy street.

The cacophony of sirens was the first clue to the office staff that something unusual had taken place.  By the time I joined the observation party, the residue of smoke in the air was the telltale sign of something more serious.  I took a serendipitous route to the dentist and stopped to see the remnants of the plane on a street between homes.  None of the homes had been hit.  The wreckage was charred and mangled.  The news choppers were hovering above and cameramen were already staking out their prime location.  It made me feel sad to know that a person had perished and was still lying under the tarp that covered most of the fuselage.  My discomfort at the dentist did not seem like anything of which to complain.

After returning to work for the rest of the day, evening took me to Glenview Academy for their Christmas Concert.  It was a memorable and delightful evening.  The contingent of students numbering close to one hundred was dressed in Christmas colors and standing as would an experienced and trained mass choir.  Bells and piano pieces by students ranging in skill and ability preceded the vocal portion of the concert.  I must confess I was not totally prepared for the sound of all these children singing as only children can sing—with gusto and enthusiasm, but also on key and harmony.  They began with “O Come, All Ye Faithful”—“wow’ is the only word that comes to mind.  Other renditions included an arrangement of “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” and the “Hallelujah Chorus”—neither of which seemed to be typical elementary school pieces.  It was amazing!  There were harmonies, echoes, with small group ensembles singing counterpoint to the melody of a much focused mass choir of children. 

The large group was made up by students ranging from kindergarten to 8^th grade!  Every singer was doing their part with discipline and skill.  The church was filled with sound that registered loudly on my soul.  I was blessed.  I cannot see how any parent present was not either extremely proud to have a child as part of such a marvelous program or wondering what it would take to have their child be part of it in the future.  I will remember that concert for a long time!  Good night.

Board Meeting Surprise

It’s Thursday morning and I am taking a short moment to blog.  The week is winding up and a busy weekend lies ahead.  Verde Valley and Maricopa Village school board meetings were fruitful and productive.  The board meeting in Maricopa last night took over three hours!

I also took some time to visit the Desert Valley School in Tucson.  It was good morning there.  One scene that registered was entering the lower grade classroom and observing the entire class sitting around a semi-circle table doing classwork while singing Christmas carols.  It was a heart-warming moment.  I also enjoyed my time with the upper grades, where I spent the lion’s share of the morning.

Something extraordinary took place during the long board meeting in Maricopa.  We are facing enrollment challenges of the good kind—too many students.  We had to wrestle with the idea of capping enrollment for the time being, while at the same time wondering how we could find the resources to hire a part-time teacher’s aide for the teaching principal.

              
God, I sense, had anticipated our need.  During the course of the meeting the pastor’s wife, who is a member of the committee, presented the board with a check from the Pacific Union Conference that was exactly the amount we needed to cover the aide for the remainder of the school year.  We were all pretty excited about the development.  God is looking after Maricopa!  Back to work….

One Week Later

Where has the last week gone?  I just realized I had not been blogging since last Wednesday.  A lot has transpired since then.  Perhaps I should bring my millions of readers up to date.

As you may know, the Executive Committee of the Arizona Conference meets the day following the K-12 Education Board.  Last week was no exception.  I had missed the prior meeting due to a sudden death in the family.  I was able to attend this meeting and I am glad I did.  Some important votes were taken that were of significance.  Shifts in the conference office and in the pastoral assignments will soon become reality.  I believe they are good moves—the challenge is to see how the membership of the affected churches perceives and reacts to the move of a pastor from or to their church.

There was one item that surfaced that will have a major impact on the conference evangelism goals for years to come.  It has to do with a sponsor providing the financial resources to make contact with every household in the entire State of Arizona.  That is monumental.  The concept is still in its infancy but I see it as another way God choosing to smile down on our feeble efforts.  It’s pretty exciting to think that every household in Arizona will be contacted with the Advent message.  If that is to become reality, it certainly means that our churches will have a lot to do between now and then to get ready to be an inviting and receptive place for new people to be embraced.

In any case, I had the opportunity to travel to Southern California for Friday and Sabbath.  It was particularly special in that my daughter, Amanda, was the Sabbath morning speaker at her home church in Orange.  She preached an amazing sermon about the Advent through the eyes of the angels.  I was truly an inspiring and inspired presentation.

That evening I had the opportunity of listening to my nephew, Joe, in concert at a venue in Los Angeles.  He is quite a talented singer-songwriter that is making ripples in the music industry.  He did not disappoint.  I left early Sunday morning in order to make a 3:00 p.m. with the Spanish pastors from the conference.  In the end I did not even stay until the end of the meeting.  My stomach was not happy at all—most likely because I left early Sunday morning from Riverside, and thus missed out on my mom’s traditional Sunday Heart Attack Breakfast for the family.  My arteries thanked me, but my stomach complained vehemently.

Monday took me to Gilbert and Yuma.  Both meetings were rewarding for different reasons.  I am hoping to see a church school open its doors officially in the new future.  The way it is being perceived at this time as as a hybrid school that would provide a solid core curriculum together with enrichment to home schooled students.  We are moving with a proposal that should be ready for the February meeting of the K-12 Board of Education.  The trip to Yuma made the day seem long.  My time there flew.  There are some very wonderful people in Yuma!

To be continued…. I have to get to my board meeting at the Verde Valley School in Cottonwood.  I’m hoping the temperature does not drop below freezing before I have a chance to get off this mountain!  I hope the meeting is short….

December Meetings

The Arizona Conference Education K-12 Board takes place today.  There is a full agenda.  Some very meaty topics will be discussed today.  The future is sobering.  I truly do not see in myself the person who has the ability to solve the puzzle that is Adventist Education.  In fact I feel pretty small to the task.  But I have no choice—I am here during this time.  There are enrollment, financial, and infrastructure challenges in every school in the conference.  Add to this the added burden of increased costs for faculty remuneration and benefits that are not presently budgeted.  The committee will have to find a creative way to address the projected shortfall in next school year’s budget.  The only option if no solution is found is to close schools—and that is not an option that I want to consider.

My morning will be spent putting the finishing touches on the materials that need to be presented on this topic.  AAF will also be bringing a report and some recommendations to enhance the partnership dynamics between the Foundation, the academy, and the conference.  There are challenges, but we do not want the information channel to be compromised in any way.

The topic of how best to associate with Adventist home-schooling parents will be addressed.  There are pitfalls in running ahead without a long-range plan.  I will be asking permission to launch a pilot plan, subject to Pacific Unionapproval, to engage this segment of our church membership.  Failure to do so will cause long-term harm to our school system.  Much prayer and wisdom is needed here as well.

I have been thinking that leadership is most often defined by the context in which is develops.  It is easier to be a leader in times of relative peace and abundance.  But leadership is forged in times of crisis and opposition.  I pray I will be willing to be endowed with the qualities needed during these challenging times.  There is a way.  There are resources.  We have to connect with the ultimate Source of wisdom in order to confront head-on the spiritual forces that are determined to destroy what God is doing.  Send up a prayer on our behalf today.

Bah Humbug!

I am typing on my laptop computer counting the minutes before Penny arrives in town.  It’s been a roller-coaster week health-wise and as a result personally.  In the midst of the fluctuations I actually got some things done.  The good news is that Sabbath is here and I can set the busy-ness aside and reconnect with the most important areas of my life.

It’s not that my work draws me away from those areas, but it can definitely create so much to do that I forget to slow down and reflect on the big picture.  Next week is already overflowing with items that need immediate attention—but they will have to wait.

Today is about being with God and with Penny.  No preaching.  No work-related commitments.  No meetings to attend due to some role to be played.  I will wake up with no demands on my time other than those that I would otherwise have as a regular member of the church.  I will attend church within walking distance of my home—Thunderbird-Scottsdale SDA Church on the campus of Thunderbird Academy.

The Thunderbird Church is a hybrid of students and community coming together to worship.  I will be interested to see how these two groups blend into one cohesive group.  Then we will have the afternoon free to walk or read or watch Hope TV or whatever seems appropriate for a Sabbath afternoon.  The point is that these days do not come around very often, although it seems that I will have most Sabbaths free in December.

It’s December!  What happened to the eleven months of the year?  I am not quite ready for another Christmas season.  Contrary to my conference president who likes this time of the year I tend to fall on the other side of the spectrum.  I do not like this time of year.  I tolerate it.  I make the best of it.  But I do not gravitate towards all the trappings of the season.  Somehow the simplicity of life is lost in the seasonal chaos.  I like simple and quiet moments.  I am quite happy enjoying moments of peaceful solitude.  Quiet solitude is a rare commodity this time of year.  I don’t know when I developed this less than joyous attitude toward the Christmas season, but I would be delighted to return to a rustic and austere time when the day meant more than multi-colored lights and artificial icicles hanging from cookie-cutter house eves.  I would trade it all for a moment of contemplation standing at the edge of a wooden hay trough in Bethlehem on that very first and quite foreign Nativity scene two millennia ago.

Otherwise—Bah Humbug!