Tuesday 11.24.15

Morning

• Reviewed the pictures from Rocky Feeny. Beautifully done. So thanful to him.
• Early breakfast meeting with one of my guys at Sunmist downtown. A great connection hearing about what the Lord has been doing in his life.
• Back to the Office for a meeting with one of our folks I haven't seen in months. Delighted to catch up with them.
• Administrivia to prepare for Sunday since this is a short week. 

Afternoon

• Design work for some new communications tools we're using. Too much time in front of the computer requires a break to...
• Go get a cup coffee from Dunkies and clear my head. Nothing clears the mind like coffee and cranking some Metal in the car. 
• Back to the Office. Prayed and reflect on the Prayer of St. Francis, I find it's one of the best prayers for learning how to die to self and love others as Jesus Commands in John 13:34...
• "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. 
• Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
• Where there is injury, pardon; 
• Where there is doubt, faith;
• Where there is despair, hope;
• Where there is darkness, light;
• Where there is sadness, joy.
• O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
• To be consoled as to console,
• To be understood as to understand,
• To be loved as to love;
• For it is in giving that we receive;
• It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
• It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life."
• Did some follow-up communications with Speakers for a class we're launching at the Red Doors in January...stay tuned. It's going to be amazing.
• Worked on Ministry Schedules for upcoming months.
• Created my first project on Asana...Ta Da! This year our congregation has been praying, discussing and dreaming about how to articulate our new Mission Statement and Core Values. Hip technology aside...I'm really excited to create a new Mission Statement for the Red Door Church in this next season.

Evening

• Going home. Productive day. Too much computer time fries my brain though. Time to read the Hobbit or something. 

Monday 11.23.15

• Morning
• Coffee & Morning Prayer in the Sanctuary, reminded how much I love the Collect (prayer) for Renewal of Life: 
• O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
• Not a bad way to start your day, eh?
• Quiet time before Staff arrives in the Office getting acclimated to my new Evernote account.  Recently started this and an Asana account. I'm learning to love productivity technology. Then music & liturgy planning and other administrivia.
• Weekly check-in with my Secretary Linda. So thankful to the Lord for her, she's such a great soul. Last winter she knitted me a beautiful green and yellow hat because she knows how much I love John Deere! (that's a joke...it's the Packers colors) 
• Weekly check-in with our Parish Administrator Roberta who also leads our Children's Ministry. She is one of the most thorough, dedicated people you'll ever meet and an amazing artist. Highlight of our weekly check-in was discussing awesome curriculum for our kids. We're very excited. All I can say is...bring your kids to the Red Doors in December! 
• Afternoon
• Mancub-Time (Mancub is my son's alias): Basketball Practice and a little side job he picked up then this week's writing assignment on the Spartans: they were serious dudes. 
• Meeting with one of our folks who just completed Financial Peace University whom I married to his Bride back in June. 
• Met briefly with Rocky Feeny,  local photographer and all-around great guy, who did a photoshoot of the Church in October. He dropped off the completed file. Very excited to peruse through this as soon as I'm done typing this blogpost. 
• Evening
• Dinner with the fam'. The Missus made awesome homemade chicken soup. 
• Back to Church in the PM for our 2nd 2016 Event Planning Team Meeting lead by The Missus.  She truly is one of the most gifted, intuitive and competent leaders I've ever met. Very excited for what's in store at the Red Doors in 2016.
• Winding down by taking "a Churchill", so named for one of my heroes Winston Churchill who was fond of taking a bath every day. 

Christ the King Sunday 2015

Back into the swing of keeping this diary...
7:15am - headed out in the glorious, snow-laden Wisconsin wonderland to check the walkways @ Church, throw down some salt & do some spot shoveling
8am - Eucharist in the Chapel with Deacon Bill preaching, highlight: "We have a holy freedom, we can go back. But God calls us to new life!"
9am - kicked off our Adult Ed Class on The Sermon on the Mount. Very excited to be going through this  with our folks.
10am - Eucharist in the Sanctuary.
11am - Red Door Coffee Meet & Greet. I'm truly loving this time of fellowship. Peanut covered honey- dipped grapes and Haitian Coffee. Mmmmm.
12pm - lunch at Sunmist with our friends and Seminarians the Laras.
1pm - our last Financial Peace University class for this series. So proud of these folks who've committed 9 weeks to learning how to handle money God's way. Excited for our finally tally of how much debt the Class paid off and how much they saved.
3:30pm - The Missus, the Mancub and I headed to Janesville to visit one of our folks in the hospital, dear Sister Pat.
6pm - home. Did the dishes. Mancub off to bed. Nachos and The West Wing with the Missus.

Yesterday- great Sabbath hanging with our dear friends the Adams in the am over pizza, coffee, kids relishing the fresh snow and discussing The Sermon on the Mount, Romans 14, Galatians.

The. Celebrated the 100th Birthday of our friend and parishioner Dorothy Brown. She exemplifies "The joy of the Lord shall be your strength." (Nehemiah)