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)

Tuesday

• Had our first Central Convocation (a.k.a. tri-country area of Episcopal Churches) Clergy Bible Study this morning on the Pastoral Epistles. Really enjoyed digging into 1 Timothy, so good to be reminded of what our calling is as minister of the Gospel.
• Had two nice impromptu visits this morning from one of our Deacons Mary Misner and Parishioner Pat Leverick.
• Spent midday on various Administrivia including ordering a Financial Peace University membership for one of our newly-weds as a Wedding Gift (my standard Engagement & Wedding Gift: the best possible gift to give married couples!).
• 1pm appointment with a Parishioner.
• 2:30pm drove out to Inspiration Ministries in Walworth to visit another Parishioner. Had a nice conversation with local Pastor Keith Harms who I bumper into in the parking lot.
• Back to the Office for to work on finalizing our website ASAP including writing some content and phone meetings with our web-designer Allan Aguirre of Treehouse PC and an excellent local photographer.
• 5:30pm home for dinner then off to Bible Study.

Last Week

So last week was a great but incredibly busy week.

Left for Camp Sunday afternoon:  check-in, dinner, introductions, etc then back home around 10pm to write sermon and prep for...
Monday: Presided at the Funeral of our parishioner Helen Carlson. It was a well-attended and honoring tribute to this dear Sister which concluded with a Funeral Procession to the Cemetery, graveside Committal and Luncheon at the American Legion Hall in Delavan. Then back to Camp Webb where I served as Chaplain and musician on the music team. Lot's of fun with the kids, especially dress-up dodgeball to cheesy '80's music.

Tuesday:  Camp with the Kids then back to Delavan for our Vestry Picnic. It was a beautiful night on Lake Comus at the home of Vestry Member Pat Leverick enjoying burgers on the grill, delicious homemade goodies and great company. Then back to Camp for evening worship and bed.
Wednesday: Camp with the Kids then out to Elkhorn for our monthly County-wide Clergy Luncheon at Lakeland Community Church. I so appreciate this group. We talked about boundaries and time management and the Sabbath. Then back to Camp.

Wednesday through Saturday:  At Camp Webb with the kids. Time at Camp Webb deserves a lot more commentary but I'll summarize it this way. Beautiful camp on Lauderdale Lakes. So grateful for our Staff who understand how to connect with Youth and speak faith into their lives. So grateful for kids who are open to the Lord and showed real love for one another during the week. And so exhausted from an 8am to 9pm schedule everyday!
Home Saturday afternoon to recover as much of the Sabbath as possible and rest.

Sunday: Woke up at 6am to finish my Adult Education powerpoint on Leviticus 23 and generally prepare for Sunday worship. 8am and 10am Eucharists with 9am Adult Ed between all followed by our Annual Father's Day Brat Cookout on the Patio.

Then a wonderful Father's Day afternoon being on the receiving end of the love my Son and my Bride who took to me Simple in Lake Geneva, got me two cases of Rhinelander beer (the best!) and went for a walk and then settled later in the evening for pizza and homemade Caprese salad to watch the newest GODZILLA movie (Dad's choice for Father's Day).

A Wonderful Lord's Day

Today was my first Sunday back after vacation and it was absolutely wonderful!

8am - Said Eucharist in the Chapel with Healing Prayer and Anointing. I was on the receiving end of a powerful prayer from my Parishioner Bev for healing for my forearm which I badly bruised the other day.

Continued our new sermon series which was excellently launched by one of our two Seminarians
Pedro Lara last Sunday:  Being the Church.

9am - First session of our new Adult Ed Hour with a series titled The Festivals of God and His People where we'll be spending the summer looking at the Calendar and how our Christian Calendar is rooted in Life of Jesus with a heavy emphasis on the Seven Biblical Feasts in Leviticus Chapter 23, what they are, how we can and do observe them, and how these teach us about who Jesus is as Israel's Messiah.

10am - Eucharist in the Sanctuary with our music and Children's Program. Music today was especially excellent Thank you Ron, Susanne and Dan! We had two groups of visitors including a retired priest and his family, he happened to be ordained by the same bishop as me: the Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman.

Healing Prayer and Anointing today at 10am too. I love that nearly the entire congregation comes forward and on these Sundays we have to add extra songs and Church goes longer so people can receive healing prayer. This is such a wonderful heritage of Christ Church!

A real joy for me personally is that my son served at the altar today for the third time. It means so much to me to have him by my side.

It was also good to connect with some Parishioners I had not spoken to in a few weeks and check in with them.

Quick Mancub-Dad lunch at Sunmist Cafe then home to rest for a little and then trouble some issues with the car.

Now off to Camp Webb, our diocesan Summer Camp, where I'll be serving as Chaplain this week and Mancub will be a camper.

A Good Sabbath

Had a great Saturday resting for the Sabbath. Quiet time in the morning. Wandered down to our friend's the Adams for some coffee and conversation while the kids the played.
It was so wonderful walking down the street and around the corner and stopping to talk to such wonderful neighbors like John Jeninga about our hopes for a house in the neighborhood and Joe Troast who introduced me to his Dad who's visiting. I love our neighborhood.
Then we all packed up and headed over to Big Foot Archers in Linn for some family archery practice. A beautiful location and facility here in the woods of southern Wisconsin. It felt great to have my hands on a bow again.
Living in a Wisconsin has been a return to so many wonderful things that filled my time from childhood until I was about 22 years old:  fishing,  archery,  camping,  hiking,  spending time "Up North" in Antigo and Rhinelander.
So after archery we all returned to the Rectory (that's our house) for an impromptu dinner, Dunkin' Donuts a movie while our wives talked and Jon and I played a little Rusted Rood on guitars.

Then a little work:  Worked on the curriculum for our new Adult Ed Class:  The Festival of God and His People.