Super Meetings in the Sun

It’s Friday night and I am back in my hotel room in Henderson, Nevada.  This is a beautiful, albeit hot place near Lake Mead.  It is a recently purchased property by Westin on a development called Las Vegas Lakes.  The facilities are very nice although the pool closing at 8:00 p.m. seems a bit premature.

In any case, I am sharing the weekend with educational superintendents from across the Pacific Union.  We come to fellowship, share worship moments, pray together, and work.  Today we spent a good portion of the late morning and early afternoon visiting the Hoover Dam.  It is amazing place with an incredible story of hard work and cooperation.  I could not help but wonder the amazing things we could accomplish as a church and as a school system if we only made a conscious decision to work together and work hard towards a common goal.  Too much time is wasted in petty disagreements and grudges.  We spend too much energy on shooting and avoiding “friendly fire.”  We need to save the ammunition for the real enemy.

 In any case, so far it has been a great time with people who are quickly becoming more than colleagues.  We share many of the same challenges and disappointments.  We also share the privilege of serving many people and the opportunity to convey the need to educate our children in a way and place that will lead them into a closer walk with Jesus and a passion for the mission and unique message of the Adventist church.  

I will have more to share tomorrow.  It is hard to get back into the habit of blogging regularly after you have lapsed for a while.  There are a lot of interesting developments in the educational landscape of the Arizona Conference.  Pray hard! (224.6)

Wednesday Wanderings

I will be leaving to Tucson in a few minutes.  I have a school board meeting at the Saguaro Hills School tonight.  There are some serious challenges there as they head towards the next school year.  Tonight will be a very important meeting as they count the cost of making next year a success.

Penny is busy at TCE, where she is my on-site administrator (for no pay).  She is enjoying herself and is not bored beyond belief as she would have been if she would have not had a project to keep her busy.  She will still be traveling with me to all my meetings, but she will be quite occupied at TCE the rest of the time I am at the office.

I will be preaching my first sermon at the Adventist Worship Center (AWC) this coming Sabbath. My title is “The Prodigal Planet.”  I am pretty excited about preaching it.  I plan to sing at the end of my sermon—a song titled “When God Ran.”  It is and it is not about the parable of the Prodigal Son.  It is the parable with a twist.

It seems like staffing is complete across the conference—elementary and high school.  There are some amazing providential stories related to all the people hired this year.  We were sad to see some people go, but we are delighted to have strong team members come take their places.  There are new teachers at Saguaro Hills, Desert Valley, Glenview, Holbrook, and Thunderbird (Elementary and Academy).  I am looking forward to the great things God has in store.  I am constantly amazed that God works through my feeble efforts, but He does.  And He provides!

I am off to Tucson! (227.0)

One Month Recap!

Well, well, well… it has been more than a month since I last blogged.  This is indeed a travesty!  The truth is that since that fateful day in June the following events have taken place:

1)      Performed a funeral for a cousin.

2)      English Campmeeting begins and ends.  Amazing time!

3)      Spanish Campmeeting begins and ends.  Wow!

4)      Was the evening speaker for Adults II Campmeeting opening week-end.  Dick Duerksen had to shorten his commitment.

5)      I was song leader for main meetings at English Campmeeting.  Enjoyed it immensely.

6)      I played piano for Cradle Roll during English Campmeeting.  The upper range of my skill level.

7)      I sang special music for English Campmeeting—alone and with the Campmeeting Quartet (Abi, Tony, Chris, and me).  Great fun!

8)      Was in charge of both Sabbath School programs for English Campmeeting.  The second Sabbath guest speaker cancelled the Friday before the second Sabbath. 

9)      Raised about $6,000 for the Youth Service Project during English Campmeeting.  Awesome project.

10)   Laid brick pathway leading to the Little red School House.  Back-breaking!

11)   Was Junior department speaker during Spanish Campmeeting.  Much fun!

12)   Sang Special music for Spanish Campmeeting.  Not ready.

13)   Traveled most of the night after Spanish Campmeeting.  Tired beyond measure.

14)   Sang in an outdoor wedding in Fallbrook, California.  Beautiful location with lots of greenery.

15)   Had a serious bout of allergies leading up to the moment of singing “The Prayer.”

16)   Caught a summer cold!  Still recovering

17)   Traveled to Mexico.  Sick.

18)   Traveled to Mammoth Mountain on the Eastern Sierras in California.  Was sick.

19)   Traveled to Yosemite.  Pulled a trailer-load of supplies for a family group of over 70 people.

20)   Fished with my sons…caught nothing…again!

21)   Climbed Half Dome.  12 excruciating hours!

22)   Swam and rafted down the Merced River.  Very low water level!

23)   Cooked for 70 people!  They survived.

24)   Visited family in Fresno. 

25)   Got caught in post-4^th of July weekend traffic coming up the Grapevine.

26)   Unloaded a trailer-load of supplies upon arriving in Riverside.

27)   Returned to Scottsdale.

In the midst of that whirlwind I was involved in securing the final personnel pieces in the elementary schools system, Thunderbird and Holbrook Indian School.  I launched a major one-year intervention involving a key school in the system.  I officially welcomed my wife, Penny, into a partnership involving an intervention at a local school in the system.  I signed on to co-pastor the AWC Church  for 12 months to facilitate the transition of a teacher into pastoral ministry and mentor given teacher for the next few months as the process solidifies. 

               I thinks that’s all…I’m going to bed!  (229.0)