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Greak Weekend

This was such a wonderful weekend. On Friday, after work, Kimberly and I just relaxed in our apartment. I later decided to move the furniture around in our living room, which is oddly satisfying for me, then went to bed.

When I woke, I just laid around for a while and created a new template for my blog, which again is very satisfying. When I got up, I played Thundercat DVDs while I cleaned the house, which was demolished after the busy week we have had and after moving the furniture.

Later that day we went to the Black's house for a game night. It's always great to go to the Black's. A few other cool people from our growth group came and we munched on yummy snacks and played Whatniff. It was a lot of fun!

Sunday I went to church early for worship practice, which is always such a fulfilling experience. Debbie did wonderfully, giving us a great message.

Then I was off to the SCRIP table where someone came and introduced himself to me and told me a song I sang a while back is still ministering to his heart and wanted to know if he could find a recording of it anywhere. I was really touched by the man's kind words and knowing that God had used me to do something in this man's life.

Then it was back to Muncie to have lunch with the Lott's, which was a blast! They are such fun people to be around. After lunch, Kimberly and I headed to the Canady's house so Kimberly could cut Isaiah's hair.

Then it was time for Youth Group. Bryan Vickery did a great job delivering the message and it was a lot of fun to eat candy and hang out with the kids. Then we went home and relaxed, preparing ourselves for Monday.

My Dream Job Would Consist of:

• a high level of creativity permeating every aspect of what I do
• glorifying and serving God in a manner that is direct and genuine
• guiding people through experiencing God's presence in a way that feels authentic to them for wherever they are in their walk with Christ
• working alongside high-spirited, good-hearted people
• helping people who have been broken
• a sense of purpose
• laughter
• challenges and accomplishments
• being part of a lasting change
• being a leader in an environment where I can truly, whole-heartedly believe in and live for everything I am leading others towards

Just a bit different than my current position ;o) Just some thoughts, though. A few things here and there. You know, I wouldn't want to be picky or anything ;o)

Today is a Good Day

I started out feeling sick this morning, scratchy, sore throat and fading voice, but I began feeling better throughout the day. I went to a quick seminar about healthy vs. unhealthy sexuality and masturbating rituals. (Apparently it is considered normal and healthy to masturbate twice a day as long as it doesn't interfere with your daily schedule.) I then drove to Winchester to meet with one of my biggest customers, the Randolph County juvenile probation officer. She is great to work with and there is always lots to discuss with her as we share many cases. Then I returned to my office to do some conversing with staff, and then my work day was done! It just flew by. It did involve some concerning conversations, but overall it was a descent day. Kimberly and I went to the Jamaica missions trip meeting, and I'm really starting to get excited! Then I stuck around for worship practice, which was a blast because everyone there is so fun to be around. There was a moment when we were playing that I could really feel God's presence, which is always awesome. After worship practice I hung out at the Black's for a while, had a good time, and got to eat some good food. YAY!!! Today is a good day!

Morale

How do you boost the morale of a group of people facing real problems? How do you make them feel appreciated in an environment where they probably aren't really appreciated all that much? How can you convince someone to support an organization, when there are no real counters for their complaints?

These are some of the thoughts running through my mind right now. One of the parts of my job that I take very seriously is being a strong source of support for my staff. I refuse to weave some motivational speech designed to change their minds. I've never done that to them before, and I don't want to start. Instead, I try to offer new thoughts or perspectives and simply ask them to consider them while I support their current thinking. But now I find myself in situations where there are no new thoughts. There are no different perspectives. Just facts. Unpleasant facts.

All I can do is nod and say "You're right, and I'm sorry," and I don't like that. I could tell them God appreciates them, that He has a purpose for everything happening right now, and that they can still glorify Him under any conditions. But then again, I can't tell them that. I'm not allowed. Perhaps I should just use the stress kit seen above and encourage them to do so as well.