Hello, Friends:
You probably saw this coming, but today it becomes official. In light of the fact that I have chosen to move on from this position as Superintendent of Education for the Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists effective July 1, 2013, I have chosen to end my blogging sooner than later. The truth is that the pace has picked up since I made the decision to return to California. Perhpas that is due to my desire to finish strong and not to end with a whimper.
I appreciate the fact that you took the time to read the blog. I am sure there were times you wondered why, but you did. I even appreciate those who took the time to react to my thoughts. I have found other outlets for my writing. my personal email remains the same (r3pa@sbcglobal.net). You are always welcomed.
Blessings
My Life as a Deserter (dormant)
Serendipitous vignettes compiled from experiences as Superintendent of Schools for the Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
The Process Continues
It’s Thursday
night and I’m almost out of week with much more to accomplish before the sun
sets tomorrow. The last week took me to
Ontario, California (again!) for K-12 Curriculum Committee. These are all becoming the “last” of their kind
for me in my present position. It’s a
bit strange, but what can you do?
This coming week will take me to
Northridge, California for a WASC accreditation visit at San Fernando Valley
Academy. I am chairing the
committee. I should have said “no,” but I
have this thing about saying yes to people asking for help. I am reading the book “Boundaries,” by Cloud
and Townsend. Perhaps that will help me
get better at that in the future.
The personnel process
continues. Still some fluidity, but it
seems to be taking shape in the elementary schools. There will be minimal movement, but it will
include another step in improving the whole.
It has not been easy, but progress is rarely without some opposition or
misunderstanding. You just have to be as
fair as possible and be true to what you are impressed is the right road to
take. TAA is almost finished in its
personnel search as well. A couple of
additions are still in the works. Good
night! (228)
Friday, February 22, 2013
Long Week Ended
Today is
Friday. Sabbath is but a couple hours
away. I need rest. It has been a hectic month with demands
inside and outside the confines of the Arizona Conference.
This week is the first week all
month that I have been able to be physically in the office for the entire week,
yet even that is a relative term with my visits to the schools across the
state. Education Day/Superintendents’
Council/Educational Leadership Committee at Angwin, California led off the
month. That was followed by the One
Project gathering in Chicago—a wonderful experience with time to dream and
think outside the box without losing sight of the Prize, which is Jesus. I was here this week, but after tomorrow I
will be gone for the lion’s share of the next two weeks at K-12 Curriculum
Committee in Ontario, California followed by a WASC accreditation Visiting
Committee, which I am chairing, at San Fernando Valley Academy, in Northridge,
California.
In the midst of that there were
multiple school boards and personnel committees. There were church boards and preaching
opportunities. And of course there were TCE demands and Director of Family
Ministries commitments. Believe it or
not, I am still married, which is a 24/7 experience…. One would think I have just had a genuine
“pity party”, but I’m not. I loved every
minute of it, but it has stretched me close to the limit. At least I am not bored as the days move
towards my ultimate departure from the Arizona Conference.
Personnel time is always a time to
adjust and transition. It is not always
easy, but it is necessary. Such is the
case in the Arizona Conference. There
are people leaving, transitioning, scaling back, considering options, moving,
and remaining. What the conference will
look like when the proverbial dust settles is not visible as of today. We will press on.
I am preaching at AWC tomorrow. I am looking forward to it. My sermon title is “God is Up to No
Good!” It is based on the story and peculiar prayer of Jonah. I am looking forward to it. I need rest before I begin. This week has taken a lot out of me. I have had some tough conversations in
various settings. God knows why he
brought me here. I will remain at my
post until he calls me away. (225)
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Late Saturday Lines
It’s early
Sunday morning—Super Bowl Sunday. I will
most likely miss the game since I will be traveling later this afternoon to
Oakland, California in route to PUC for Education Days. Penny will be traveling with me, so that will
make the trip more pleasant.
It was a great Sabbath day at AWC. I will miss the people there when I’m gone. They really are a nice bunch of people who generally like being with each other. Services are pretty informal and laid back, but the substance is solid. Pastor B preached today as part of a Prayer Sermon Series. He spoke on the power and need of intercessory prayer in the context of the great controversy taking place between God and Satan. The message was powerful and his delivery was passionate, as usual.
It was a great Sabbath day at AWC. I will miss the people there when I’m gone. They really are a nice bunch of people who generally like being with each other. Services are pretty informal and laid back, but the substance is solid. Pastor B preached today as part of a Prayer Sermon Series. He spoke on the power and need of intercessory prayer in the context of the great controversy taking place between God and Satan. The message was powerful and his delivery was passionate, as usual.
Penny and I enjoyed a simple lunch together
and then rested all afternoon. We took a
walk in the evening after going on an errand to Wal-Mart. We had a great talk during our walk and
enjoyed a relaxing evening. These days
are rare, but precious. Good night!
(220)
Friday, February 1, 2013
Visitation Day Aftermath
It’s a quiet
evening at the Escalante’s. Praise God
for Sabbath! It was hectic week
culminating in a hectic Friday. TCE
celebrated Visitation Day. The school
was all gussied up for company. It was a
great day for most all.
No preaching or teaching tomorrow. No responsibility…well maybe that’s pushing it a bit. But it is still a day when I will be able to enjoy the experience without directly being responsible for putting it together. Of course that may all change tomorrow, but I can enjoy the illusion while it lasts.
At least I can set it aside for a few hours. (I guess I didn’t really, since I just blogged about it! Oh, well.) Pray for the process and for the people involved and affected by the choices yet to be made.
Oh yes, please pray for a couple of our teachers, Steve and Joan, who are facing serious family health challenges that will require divine intervention if favorable outcomes are to be expected. They need our prayers—we need to press together when any of us is hurting. Steve’s sister and Joan’s mom are facing major crises, but Joan and Steve need our prayers as well. (224)
There was learning taking place, but
it was a colorful, exciting, creative, and energetic sort of learning. There were games and experiments. There were interesting classroom experiences. There were lots of new little people on campus. There were many prizes given. There was even an acrobatic performance by
the TAA Arco Team in which many children were able to participate. Oh, yes, there was a short devotional thought
at the end of the festivities as well.
But as all amazing days tend to
require an amazing outlay of work and energy, today was no exception. A few late nights followed by early mornings
finally decided to cash in on Friday afternoon.
Penny and I both crashed early (I woke up in the late evening to write
this entry). It was nice to have a time
of refreshing.
No preaching or teaching tomorrow. No responsibility…well maybe that’s pushing it a bit. But it is still a day when I will be able to enjoy the experience without directly being responsible for putting it together. Of course that may all change tomorrow, but I can enjoy the illusion while it lasts.
The personnel process has begun in
earnest across the conference. It is
always a bit of an unnerving time for all involved. A lot of prayer is going up these days as
decisions are being made that will impact people’s lives and livelihood. Some personnel sessions are short and easy,
while others can extend over days. Both
require God’s leading. Both require that
the focus be on the children God entrusted to us.
At least I can set it aside for a few hours. (I guess I didn’t really, since I just blogged about it! Oh, well.) Pray for the process and for the people involved and affected by the choices yet to be made.
Oh yes, please pray for a couple of our teachers, Steve and Joan, who are facing serious family health challenges that will require divine intervention if favorable outcomes are to be expected. They need our prayers—we need to press together when any of us is hurting. Steve’s sister and Joan’s mom are facing major crises, but Joan and Steve need our prayers as well. (224)
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Transition TIme
I am in SOuthern California
today for a major reunion at the La Sierra Spanish SDA Church in Riverside,
California. Of course, that means I get
to see my family in Riverside. Just a
coincidence, of course!
My melancholy is tempered by the amount of work that remains in the months to come. I ask for your collective prayers for the events, the tasks, and the decisions that have yet to be made. God is still at work. The best days of education in the Arizona Conference remain to be seen. God will raise up who he needs.
By now, you may have heard that I
have officially announced my intent to return to California at that end of the
present school year. It has been a
gut-wrenching decision on many levels. A
big part of me does not want to leave a job that I have just begun. There is so much to yet to do. AAF is just beginning to establish itself at
Thunderbird. The transition has not been
one without some serious adjustments. I
believe God brought me here to be part of that transition. It saddens me to think that I may be leaving
before my role in this incredible journey is completed.
The elementary educational system is
still in a state of transition as well.
Although enrollment has been up every year since I arrived, there is
little comfort in that. There are
changes that need to take place that require more time. It can’t be done in three short years. Some changes are in place. Some are about to take place. Others require more time. I am saddened that I will not be able to see
those changes through. I trust God will
find the person to continue the move towards continual improvement.
Ultimately, this is a family-based
decision. Penny and I miss the family. I have resisted conference-office work for
many years because of family. I thought
that it might be a workable scenario now that that my children are all
independent and relatively established in their respective calling. I responded to a need and I do not regret the
decision. I had to respond—it is how I
raised my children. It is what I taught
my youth groups.
But I also raised my children to
treasure family. I have made most of my
professional decisions with family in mind.
When I did not do that I lived to regret the impact it had on one or
more members of my nuclear family circle.
I have missed so much of the lives of my children and
grandchildren. Little and big things—some
people might even consider them insignificant.
But they are not. They are
moments forever lost.
My melancholy is tempered by the amount of work that remains in the months to come. I ask for your collective prayers for the events, the tasks, and the decisions that have yet to be made. God is still at work. The best days of education in the Arizona Conference remain to be seen. God will raise up who he needs.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
California Ramblings
We’re still in
California. It’s beautiful in California
during this time of year. The skies are
clear and you can see forever in any direction.
The mountains are now-capped and candy clouds decorate the blue
skies. The weather is crisp but not
frigid. The best part of it is that
Penny and I can enjoy the grandkids every evening without having to travel
much.
We are catching up on the local
tasks that have been neglected over time.
We spent a couple hours this morning at the Social Security Office
trying to normalize the status of a developmentally disadvantaged lady.
We have an evening planned in Orange
County with Amanda and her husband. We’re
looking forward to that. Later.
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