Development of Classes
I still prep for my teaching times today but I focus more on my Tuesday and Wednesday teaching times. For simplicity sake and for consistency- these teaching times are both traditional Bible study times. On Tuesdays we are studying through 2 Timothy and Wednesdays are focused on John. This allows for a bit of a pattern so that I’m not prepping for two completely different things back to back. It helps me and I believe that the students benefit from traditional Bible study. On Wednesday I’ll continue developing my Wed night class and dive deeper on Sunday AM and PM.

Development of Ministry
To develop my ministry I set aside time to read, process, evaluate and dream each week. Today I’m reading through a ministry journal to glean tips and ideas for the ministry. After that I’m making a few calls to set up some events for the coming months. I’ll wrap up the day reading and taking notes on developing community within our group. If I can get to it today I will also work on some art work for an upcoming series and I have an office administration form I need to work on. These two projects are low on the totem pole though. I have them scheduled under “if there is time” today. If I can’t get to them today I have room in my schedule to fit them in by Friday. That’s the genius of planning.

I have really benefited from implementing Covey’s 4 Quadrants into my life (more on Q2 below). Development of content, character, and vision always trumps the bells and whistles. It is tempting to just work on the icing and the design of the surface but if there is no cake underneath then you have failed as a baker.

Holistic Development
Covey defines Quadrant 2 (Important/Not Urgent) habits as those that lead to holistic development: Preparation, Prevention, Values Clarification, Planning, Relationship building, Empowerment. The fact that I spent Monday laying these foundations helps me develop these habits, my ministry and my self today. Covey would say that is putting first things first. I just say that Tuesdays Are For Development.

We caught the midnight showing of “The Simpsons Movie” last night. I don’t think I have laughed as hard during any other movie this summer. I’ll have to watch it again to make sure that my sleepy little eyes didn’t miss anything.

One of the things that stood out in the movie was the incredible heart-felt moments shared between Marge and Homer, Bart and Flanders, and Homer and Bart. Of course any fan of the show would know that these heart-warming moments are the rule and not the exception in the Simpsons universe. I for one was glad that they included these moments in their big screen debut.

I haven’t had time to update as often I would like this past month. Let’s play catch up.

3 States in 3 Weeks
On June 16 I flew out to Washington, DC. We arrived back home on Friday, June 22. At 6:30am the next morning we left for Ruidoso, New Mexico for our high school mission trip. The trip was a great success and I cherished the time I was able to spend with some of our high schoolers. We drove back to DFW on Wednesday, June 27 (Due to weather and our jonesing for some Chili’s we actually arrived at 12:30am Thursday morning) and were able to sit and rest for a full day! We left for Uplift in Searcy, AR on Saturday, June 30. After a great week of camp we returned safe and sound on Thursday, July 5. 3 weeks, 3 states. Whew!

Beep, Beep
So, as we cross into New Mexico I’m feeling pretty good. The trip has gone well and we have passed the halfway point. I feel like east NM looks a whole heck of a lot like west TX. It’s flat, dusty, and OH! A Road Runner has just walked out in front of the van. Ok it’s turning around. Not enough! Get out of the way!!! Is it is making eye contact with me? *dump-dah*

Yeah, I hit the state bird of New Mexico with our giant rental van.

Uplift
For the second year I taught a class at Uplift. This year’s class was entitled Involvement, Ministry, and Leadership. Anytime I can talk about leadership issues I jump at the opportunity. As we were planning for the class we wanted the students to leave camp with an idea of what they were gifted in and how they were going to impact their ministries back at home. Later this summer I hope to post what we did for the class and I want to expand what I taught into some sort of eBook. If you are interested, drop me a line and I’ll put you on the list to receive a copy.

Transformers
Metal-on-Metal action reminded me that I am a boy and that I love robots, explosions, rock ‘n roll, and Optimus Prime. Popcorn movie to the max!

Seriously- better than Spidey, Jack, and Shrek. It was so much fun that I want to see it again.