The Power of 32

32 is really quite an impressive number. In mathematics, since 2⁴ + 4² (or  x^y + y^x) = 32, it is what's called a Leyland number. In science, in degrees Fahrenheit, it's the freezing point of water at sea level. In music, it is the number of completed, numbered piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven. And in sports, it's the jersey number worn by so many greats - Sandy Koufax, Jim Brown, and Dr. J, just to name a few. 32 is the number of teeth in an adult human (including wisdom teeth), the average number of pages in a comic book, and, in case you were wondering, the code for international direct dial to Belgium.

32 is also the number of days remaining in my summer sabbatical...as well as the number of days since my sabbatical began. So, I'm halfway. Halfway finished... halfway just getting started. Half empty... half full. For once in my life (and hopefully it becomes a new POV), I'm going to go with the "half full" on this one, you know, Philippians 3:13 and all.

And yet, I don't want to rush past "what's behind" because I feel like the first 32 days were phenomenal! Granted, my plan was to not really have a plan, so while the number of items on a checklist might be minimal, the "intangibles" are numerous. Here's just a quick list:

Family (1st half):

• Spent the majority of my evenings with Kerri and Wyatt
• Helped out more around the house
• Visited Lowe's more than ever before in my life because I...
• Started and finished the project of extending my backyard fence and laying a patio

Personal (1st half):

• Read through the Gospels
• Read three other books (but none that I would recommend)
• Had a Dr.'s appointment with my lowest recorded blood pressure in months
• Received invaluable training from Morris Proctor on Logos Bible Software
• Found 20 geocaches while traveling to the NC mountains and the Pacific Northwest and Canada and spending some time with good friends
• Was generally a more pleasant person to be around (or so I'm told), being more relaxed with much more energy
• Worshiped with six separate church families (three local), each being a very different but blessed time
• Began a personal challenge to eat one of every hot dog featured on Sonic's "Dog Days of Summer" menu (21 different varieties - of course, I started with the Peanut Butter Bacon Dog)

I began this post with a "Ministry" column, but I believe that if God grows me personally, that will automatically reflect a difference in how I serve Him in ministry.

As I move into the "half full" weeks ahead, I hope you will pray that my plans are not just mine, but God's plans as well. I plan to...

Family (2nd half):

• Invest as much time as possible with Kerri and Wyatt, doing whatever it is they want to do
• Spend an afternoon with my grandmother
• Continue to help out more around the house
• Enjoy a unique vacation with my family on Mackinac Island

Personal (2nd half):

• Read through the Psalms
• Read other books, including 30 Words, Church Elders, Crazy Busy, and Pursued 
• Memorize John 14-16
• Spend two separate days at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center
• Worship with at least four more different church families
• Do more geocaching, including a possible trip to the NC coast
• Exercise daily (please see last item under "Personal" above for explanation)
• Allow this unique time of rest to reflect in my attitude towards those around me and myself

Oh yeah, there's still plenty left in the sabbatical glass! As I've said all along, the next few weeks have the potential for the most good in both my ministry and me. May God make it so!

Go West (not so) Young Man!

When I first starting planning a sabbatical, I initially thought about traveling to the Four Corners section (where AZ, UT, CO & NM meet) for hiking and geocaching. However, as the plans began to progress, I found an opportunity to travel to northern WA for some much-need training on Logos Bible Software. Although Week 3 was a busy one (one of my two main travel weeks of the summer), it basically boiled down to three things - geocaching, sight-seeing, and Logos (four if you count cross-country travel round trip). Here's some of what Week 3 was about:

Geocaching: After arriving in Seattle late Sunday night, I drove south until midnight so that I would be within 75 minutes of Portland on Monday morning. Waking up early, I began driving south on what some refer to as the geocaching pilgrimage - to the site of the very first geocache. Although it's no longer there, there is a plaque commemorating the event and some nearby caches to find. Not only was I able to visit the "original stash plaque," but Tuesday was the day when I got to cache in Fremont, WA (northern suburb of Seattle) and visit Geocaching Headquarters! Finally, to add to my first caches in OR and WA, I crossed the border to White Rock, British Columbia for my first Canadian cache.

Sightseeing: This was a trip I did with my best friend, Scott Patterson. While he didn't travel to Portland with me on Monday, we planned to meet up later that day. On the way to meet Scott, I did my first non-geocaching sightseeing - Voodoo Doughnuts. Later that day we toured the Space Needle and went to the Red Sox-Mariners game. It's not often you get to see a team bat around in a game, but the Mariners did it twice - in the 4th and in the 7th. CF James Jones led off both innings and made the final out in both innings as well, going 1-4 in the two innings with a double to lead off the 7th. While in Seattle we also spent some time downtown at Pike Place Market and the original Starbucks.

Logos Bible Software: I have had this software on my computer for years (actually, since 2003 - thankfully as well, I wouldn't be able to afford it now!) and have even done a little training with it, but what I learned on Wednesday through Friday should prove to be invaluable when it comes to both personal study and sermon preparation! This program is amazing! We also got to take the tour of Logos' offices as well.

Coming home was a LONG day. I left the hotel in Seattle Saturday at 5 AM and landed in Charlotte at 10 PM. While I had planned to drive home to Reidsville, the spirit was willing but the flesh was definitely weak. I stopped just north of Charlotte (didn't get that far, did I?) and worshiped on Sunday at Lake Forest Church. I originally visited the campus a couple months ago for the Sticky Teams Conference and was curious what Sunday was like. It was what I imagined - great worship with a very laid-back atmosphere (complete with full coffee bar). I really liked how a child read the story of Noah from the Children's Bible to introduce the teaching.

All in all, it was a busy, fun, and productive week... but I'm glad to be back home. This week I'm praying for our student ministry MOVE trip, for the RCC family and their known needs, for our staff and elders and their leadership, and for God to be at work in each of our lives!

(So You Know) What I Did This Summer - Week 2

Note: This was written on 6/22/14 but never published...

As I'm sitting in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, I'm thinking back over what I accomplished during Week 2:

• I read 1, 2, and 3 John multiple times. In 1 John, I focused on the three aspects of change in a Christian life: 1) how we think theologically, know/believe, 2) how we act morally, love, and 3) how we relate socially, fellowship.
• I finished reading The Jesus Chronicles: John's Story. While some may like this book, I was very disappointed. To me it seemed that many times it was nothing more than John's gospel and the book of Revelation being recopied word for word rather than a historical fiction novel helping me understand the culture and time period better. In fact, I had planned to read all four gospels but will stop with John's for now.
• I am still reading Jack Bauer's Having a Bad Day and rewatching 24, Season 1 (which coincides with the book's chapters), although I only read one chapter / watched one episode this week.
• I am also currently reading The Machine about the greatest baseball team of all time, the 1975 Cincinnati Reds! This book was recommended by my nephew and has not disappointed yet!
• I continued to work on the backyard patio, leveling the ground and laying the pavers. A huge thanks to David, Daniel and Dustin who helped out two straight hot days! However, before I can call it "finished," because of the unlevel ground, I'm going to need to go back and recompact the soil to avoid erosion.
• Finally, after ten days, I went geocaching! The 2McTwins and I drove past Asheville on Wednesday night so we could get an early start on Thursday. While we did not get to many that we had planned for, we drove several hundred miles and saw some of God's most beautiful creations, including The Devil's Courthouse and Chimney Rock. Total geocache count - one traditional, four virtual, two webcam, and five new NC counties cached!
• Today I worshipped at The Cove. On the way down to Mooresville, I listened to over an hour of Third Day, so my ears were ringing, my eyes were wet, and my throat was hoarse before I ever got there, so I was ready! Worship was powerful, the teaching on the Lord's Prayer left me with some things to think about (including "A strong discipline of prayer will give you a strong passion for prayer"), and the outdoor baptisms were awesome! Bonus - there was a female drummer (something I can't remember ever seeing during worship)!
• I'm not sure I got a single nap in this week.
• I did continue to pray for the RCC staff and family daily!
• And I avoided wearing khakis all week (even to worship today).

However, I did miss being a part of VBS and working the kitchen with Kerri, Wyatt, and others. I'm so thankful that our Body has such a great opportunity to reach out to our community's youth in such a big way!

Two weeks gone, seven to go - I'm not bored, yet, but I am missing the RCC family! More to come...

(So You Know) What I Did This Summer - Week 1

Wow, the first week of my sabbatical flew by! In trying to keep my promise about letting people know what I'm "up to" during my time off, here is a quick list of some things I accomplished during Week 1:

• Read the Gospel of John (three chapters each morning, focusing on the word believe)
• Am currently reading The Jesus Chronicles: John's Story
• Am currently reading Jack Bauer's Having a Bad Day and rewatching 24, Season 1 (which coincides with the book's chapters)
• Extended our backyard fence (by just a few feet) and started a patio project (If you heard me teach on June 8, you might remember that I said I planned to spend the first two weeks of the summer doing outdoor work. I have been reminded that one, I am very thankful I don't make a paycheck with a shovel in my hand, and two, it's been a long time since I've had a "good tired", but I experienced several of those this week!)
• Attended the Theatre Guild of Rockingham County's production of Peter Pan with Kerri & Wyatt (and no, I had no idea it was a musical until the singing started! Great job Gabe, Morgan, Rose, Marcy, Christopher, Braeden, Colton, Sophie, et al!) 
• Worshipped at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church (I really enjoyed walking to/from church as well as the focus of quietness and meditation during the early service. The sermon was on the Trinity and I loved the first point - "The challenging doctrine of the Trinity is just as challenging as our God." He simply cannot be figured out, nor would we want Him to be. Of course, I messed up communion, so I'll probably have to go back to make that right!)
• Worshipped with Kerri & Wyatt at Horsepasture Christian Church (the 11:15 contemporary service was in their new gym where tables were set up and filled with those who came early for the Father's Day breakfast - full house!)
• Ate Father's Day lunch at my in-laws'
• Napped several afternoons
• Prayed for the RCC staff and family daily
• Spent EVERY night of the week with Kerri and Wyatt!
• Avoided wearing khakis until Sunday church services necessitated

One week gone, eight to go, more to come...