Sluggish Status

In spite of my resolve, it’s been 11 days since I last blogged.  No excuse except for Thanksgiving break.  All I can say is that I survived.  Softball, eating, golf, eating, soccer, eating, more eating, then came Sabbath and more eating!  Dare I say there was a lot of eating involved?  Oh, by the way, I was sick much of the time so I succeeded in not gaining much weight at all along the way.

Now I’m back in Scottsdale trying to catch up with tons of work that was supposed to have been dealt with during the break!  This did not happen.  However, more work succeeded in piling up while I was gone.

On a positive note, I finally made it to traffic school and erased that blemish from my driving record.  The day after renewing my license I was stopped on Interstate 10 by a state trooper.  Luckily it was only a “fix-it” ticket related to my over-tinted front windows.  I got it fixed today and will send the paperwork in tomorrow.  I am legal again!

I did not have a good day today.  I was drained before I got to work!  It was as if energy had been sucked out of me during the night.  I could not concentrate.  I could not stay on task.  I made it through the day, but barely.  I actually did get some things done, but it was not as productive a day as I would have wished.  I pray tomorrow will be better. (218.8)

Trying to Strike a Balance

Friday morning usually finds me in the office at TCE.  It is the day I can spend more time on this campus where Penny and I are providing administrative leadership (we are co-principals).  It’s the last day before Thanksgiving vacation for the students.  They are sharing pies of all kinds with each other—lots of calories floating around here today.  Personally, my day was mainly consumed with minutes, agendas for the TCE board meeting next Monday.  We’re running a little behind this month, but there are important items that need to be discussed.  Monday should be a good meeting.

I will be attending my first choir practice tonight for the AWC Christmas Cantata.  I have a solo part that I have yet to learn, but I’m getting close.  My relationship with AWC has been going through some transitions lately.  I have not been able to attend regularly due to out of town commitments, so it will be nice to be there tonight and get to know the people in a different setting.

Penny and I got back late last night from a two-day tour of the Tucson schools.  There are some very large challenges at one of the schools and some sticky challenges at the other.  It keeps me on my knees (or at least in prayer) a lot more nowadays.  There are some immense financial needs that require a large infusion of funds into some of these schools.  I know the money is out there: tax credit and otherwise.  What is missing is a passion by sufficient people to lead the charge.  There are people who are beginning to step up and ask how they can help, but we need more!

On a personal note, I need a break!  The bare thread is beginning to show and I need to find the “refresh button.”  I will have a couple of days next week to be with family: nuclear and extended.  That will be nice.  But I need more time to regroup and catch up (which is not the same thing!).  In all honesty, I do not know where I am going to find it.  I have drastically scaled back my preaching—even at AWC, but that creates a whole other level of guilt.  I appreciate any prayers you can send up on my behalf.  But I have to find a way to reconnect and renew, while still doing what I need to do without missing a beat (How is that possible!).  And while I try to figure it out, I will cling to the words, “My Grace is sufficient.” Prayers are appreciated. (221.6)

Wednesday at the Inn

In spite of my best efforts I have failed miserably to blog consistently.  Tonight finds me at a Country Inn and Suites in Tucson, Arizona, with Penny.  I attended SHACS school board meeting earlier tonight.  Tomorrow I am at SHACS and DVCS for observations and another school board. It is amazing the level of sacrifice required to keep a school alive when the trends and indicators have turned south.  I watch these school board members dealing with run-of-the-mill tasks that are anything but that in the challenging context in which they must function.  But they refuse to fold.  They press on in spite of the many challenges.

The challenges facing our schools are bigger than the local churches that support them.  That statement has been repeated ad nauseam but to little, if any, avail.  Many churches have gone into survival mode as well, and they cannot fathom how they can be expected to help rescue the educational system from imploding.  It is a matter of time before this will happen unless we change the way we conduct business, locally and as a system.  If our schools go, soon the churches will follow. 

But not unlike those involved in other more mundane pursuits, there is a reluctance to act without concern for the personal cost.  There is however, in its place, a willingness to pass the challenge along to the next generation to address, when it may be too late to rescue.

I must cling to the belief that God is in control, even when humans are clutching to the helm and moving closer and closer to a catastrophe.  In any case, here I am in Tucson.  Good night! (221)

Hectic Days Behind and Ahead

I woke up this morning with much on my mind.  I looked back at the days recently gone by and I can only exhale a sigh of relief.  My life was tugged in many directions, often at the same time during the past seven days.  Behind the scenes of busy-ness was a second layer of events that weighted on me as much if not more than the others.  But God is good—all the time.

Friday provided me the opportunity to speak for the Friday Chapel at GAA.  It was a full house.  There was a sweet spirit in the room as they sang songs and were led by their principal, FL.  I was greeted by some of the children who have gotten to know me over the last couple of years.  I enjoyed sharing some good news with them.  They seemed to enjoy the stories.  I will trust the “seeds” of the Gospel landed on fertile group.

I had a very fruitful conversation after the meeting was over.  Life is crazy!  People are going through all types of complications that life throws our way.  We prayed—that was a good moment. 

Friday night I was finally able to bring together the AWC elders.   It was a great evening of visioning and prioritizing the ministry of the elders at AWC.  We spent a thoughtful couple of hours in honest dialogue about the future of AWC and how best to serve God.  We ended our evening with a season of prayer in the back yard of our host’s home.  I also had my fill of some delicious “haystacks”.

Sabbath morning took Penny and me to AWC to enjoy the service.  Actually Penny stayed in the car putting her final touches on a presentation we were going to give at the South Mountain Church in the afternoon.  She joined me in time for church.  I attended the youth class—and I was blessed.  I even came out with a sermon idea having to do with Nebuchadnezzar—go figure.  CM preached a long but powerful sermon on the two sides of the “Why Me?” question. 

The original plan was to have a board meeting at an elder’s home immediately after the morning service.  This plan was dashed by the breadth of the sermon and a realization that the afternoon seminar I thought was scheduled on the downside of 3 o’clock was actually slated for the early side of that hour.  There was no way I would be able to have even a short board meeting and still get to southern Phoenix in time.  So I quickly rescheduled the elder’s meeting until next week (they are pretty flexible at AWC) and Penny and I rushed home to pick up some “eats” to enjoy on our way to the church.  We got there with a couple of minutes to spare.  Actually, we got there with a couple minutes to spare before the scheduled time.  It was a good 45 minutes before we began. 

Penny and I gave a seminar following a presentation given by a couple who had been married 57 years.  They spoke of the ingredients that it takes to make a marriage last.  It was somewhat humorous that after they concluded this presentation on “marital bliss” we were called up to make a presentation on “Couples in Crisis.”  Life is full of ironies.  We shared some concepts we have learned along our 33 years together and other material we were able to glean along the way.  The people appreciated the presentation. 

From there we rushed home to change clothes in order to go on to our next commitment at the DH home.  It was a special evening planned for individuals of “means” (I was not one of them) who were being enlisted to be part of the renaissance of Adventist education in Arizona.  It was a very encouraging evening.  More than the money that was pledged or given, what was of most import was the ripples that the meeting will produce as these people expand the circle to others.  The future of Adventist Education is getting brighter.  Pray hard!

Late night—tired but satisfied.  Penny and I even went outside our duplex close to midnight to see if we could catch any of the “falling stars” from the remnants of Haley’s Comet that the news said would be visible between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.  We were disappointed.  Too much light pollution!

Today will be consumed with catch-up work, the fair, and the Fall Festival at GAA.  I think my stomach is up to it!  (219.8)

Thursday in Tucson

I find myself in Tucson at the Saguaro Hills School doing some observations before heading off to the Desert Valley School for their school board meeting later this afternoon.  The Saguaro Hills school is a school that provides a solid and nurturing educational experience to all their students.  When I arrived they were enjoying a time of outdoors activities.  Older student were enjoying their time with younger students.  The tiniest ones were paying with their age group.  There was a visiting family with three children visiting that day and their children seemed to be enjoying the experience.  Pray for SHACS!  They have some enormous challenges facing them now.  They face tumultuous days in the absence of a miracle.    Pray hard!

This morning Penny and I had to make a pilgrimage to Nogales to renew some documentation that streamlines the international border crossings we occasionally enjoy.  I had never been to Nogales.  Our GPS apparently had never been there before either.  It took us to a church rather than the governmental office we were seeking.  We figured it out and arrived late (but on time) for our appointment.  Luckily the government runs a little slow in Nogales.

This has been a hectic week, in which I was not able to make a significant dent in my work in the office.  TCE and TAA required some extra TLC this week.  I even forgot I had a school board meeting on Tuesday night at the Adobe school. 

A very busy weekend awaits me…for now I better get back to more pressing work.  Pray hard!  (219.0)

Nonsense

This Sabbath finds me back in Southern California for the second weekend in a row to attend a funeral for someone struck down too early in life.  Last week I participated in a funeral for a student of mine during my academy teacher days.  He was only 33 years old—with a wife he dearly loved and a daughter he adored!  Today, I will be at funeral for a friend and contemporary.  He coached my three children in the Adventist Softball League when they were children in elementary school.  One day he is fine—the next day he is gone.  Life does not make sense at times.

I survived the week of meetings in Ontario.  Next week will be hectic if for no other reason than the fact I was away for most of last week!  Too many things to do and not enough time to get them accomplished.   There are challenges propping up their threatening heads in certain places across the conference.  Prayers are requested for the situations and the people involved.  For now, Sabbath is here and rest is desired.  Enjoy.  (219.9)  

More Meetings

I am still in Ontario.  More meetings are slated for today.  K-12 Curriculum meetings follow WASC training, Elementary Associates and ECEC Board meetings yesterday.  I will survive!  At least Penny is here.