Rider's Log 11.22.08 Coal Creek, Signal Ditch, Community Ditch

I'm restarting my Rider's Logs!  It's been 6 months since i've done them and i really like looking back to see the rides I've done.  I wish I had done them April-October to document the 200o i rode this season.

Today i rode with Michael from the FCC parking lot in west Lafayette.  Rode the Coal Creek urban trail to Marshall Mesa, across highway 93, Signal Ditch and back.  28 miles  2.5 hours.

This is a fast and fun ride.  Very non-technical.  A lot of people out on the trail.  I'd rate this one high for a fast, fun ride when you just want to ride and push yourself and chew up some miles on the mountain bike.

Big Wisdom in a Few Words from a Big Man

"The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.

 

"Cowardice asks the question: "Is it safe"? Expediency asks the question:"Is it politic"? Vanity asks the question: "Is it popular?" But conscience asks the question:"Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one's conscience tells one what is right."

Martin Luther King Jr (1929 - 1968)

 

These are good words with strong wisdom on which to reflect.

Tips to Help You Become a De-Motivating Leader part 1

Here are some free, time-tested tips on how to be a de-motivating un-leader.  These are guaranteed to work when you want to de-motivate and un-lead your team.

1. Consider stories or struggles other people share as an invitation and opportunity to share your own stories and talk about your own struggles.  Never come back  to the other person's problem.  Monopolize the conversation and talk about yourself.  Your team will soon stop sharing anything deep or meaningful.    
2. Be a poor listener - lack empathy, don't ask questions - see above .   see #8
3. Always tell people about your family but never ask them about their family.
4. Do not encourage your team with notes, gifts or public praise.
5. Encourage your team to take risks and go out on a limb.  However, do not protect your team members from outside criticism for taking risks and trying new things.
6. Do not seek to understand the hearts of your team members.
7. Don't connect relationally and authentically.  Don't make a heart connection and try to understand the realities of where your your team members are.
   1. Understand = "joining someone else's truth and deep waters of the heart"
8. Don't let people understand who you are and your truth.  see above
9. Make sure everyone knows how busy you are.  Don't notice that your team is busy, too.  If you do notice it, repent for being sensitive.  Never mention it out loud.
10. Be a cock-eyed pessimist.  Be a "no, because" person instead of a "yes, if" person. 
11. Say "that won't work here," or, "that doesn't really work at that other place."  Say these phrases every time you are challenged by an idea.   Do not say, "I wonder if we could make that work here."
12. Ask for input and argue against all the input ideas.  Explain, using your years of experience, why they won't work.  If possible, tell a story about you.  see #1
13. Focus on the negatives of a current situation.  Don't let it ever occur to you to celebrate or leverage the positives.  When necessary, talk about sick and dying people to distract your team.
14. Lament failures deeply.  Do not learn from them.  Neither expect them nor allow them. 
15. Ignore success and progress.  Minimize any perceived successes - especially when someone is really pleased and has worked hard. 
16. Do #11-15 publicly - especially with key players in your organization.

I am personally guilty of a good number of these.  Some often.  Some infrequently.  Turn these around into positive statements and the list can be a good guide for becoming a motivating leader.   Sometimes, in order to really know what something IS, you have to learn what it is NOT.   When you experience de-motivating un-leadership, you learn what motivating leadership is in a stronger way.

Do you have any tips to add?

(Part 2 coming soon)

Arches National Park

 

 

Knowledge

I love the curriculum we use as a tool to plug children into life through Christ. It's called 252 Basics and is published by the reTHink group. I love how they use the character traits, or virtues, of Christ to guide us in our growth. Here's the "Leaders Only" section for the Sunday, September 14:

This month we’ve been talking about (1) knowledge, which is discovering something new so you can be better at whatever you do. (2) God is perfect and omnipotent—the ultimate Authority on right and wrong, the ultimate Author of Scripture, the Book on wise choices. Jesus used His knowledge of Scripture (that He’d been studying since childhood) to make the wise choice. Because Jesus knew what God said, He was able to withstand the temptation to do wrong things. (3) God wants us to have that kind of knowledge too. So today, focus on helping kids understand that knowing what God says by reading the Bible will help them make wise choices and can even help them avoid or withstand unforeseen trouble. (4) When they know what God says, and follow through on it, it will make a difference in their lives—and in the lives of those around them.

That is great stuff that helps us stay focused on living life God's way.
A big "pat on the back" to the reThink group for their efforts.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend on your own understanding; seek His will in all you do and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6.

Team Garmin Chipotle

Chipotle in France during le Tour!  Go team Garmin/Chipotle!  Your sponsorship makes me want to eat more big, huge, fresh burritos.

My Blog Has Been Sleeping

After the Orange Conference at the end of April, I returned to Colorado and dove into end of the season ministry work and preparations for Kid's Camp 2008, our VBS experience.  I've been working like crazy.

Next week, I'll be turning, 42, packing up all of the ministry supplies for a July and August church building remodel, celebrating the 4th of July and replacing the brakes on at least one of my cars.

On the 6th, I head up to Covenant Heights Camp to teach 4th-10th graders (not all at the same time) for a week in the mountains near Estes Park, Colorado.  During the week I will totally relax while studying for the talks I'll give each day.  I also plan to unpack my notes from the Orange Conference and look ahead to ministry plans for the next phases, 3 months, 9 months and beyond.  I will also wake up my sleepy blog and start posting again on a consistent basis.

I've been learning a lot about what it means to live in humility; as in putting others first by giving up what i think i deserve.  It's making a difference in my life and I'll share some thoughts later.

Follow me on Twitter at johnincolorado.  My micro blog tweeting has been going strong while this macro blog has been sleeping.

Thanks for checking in.  I'll see you in a couple of weeks.

Please Pray

Read Julian's full story here.

We were on schedule to be discharged tomorrow until Julian came down with a fever of 101.6 this evening.  They will take blood cultures from both sides of his hemodialysis catheter (the venous and arterial sides) and begin a slurry of antibiotics tonight, including vancomyacin which is used to treat MRSA, a highly drug-resistant form of Staph Aureaus.
His blood pressure was unusually low last night, and coupled with the rising temperature today there is a concern.  Please pray that any infection of the blood or of the catheter will be taken care of by the antibiotics and that Julian will come out fine from this whole ordeal.
I asked the Dr. on the floor tonight whether or not it was potentially life threatening by saying "It doesn't always go well for the patient in cases of blood infections, does it?"  And she shook her head and said "not always". 
Dave just walked in the door from  his cab ride from the airport as I'm typing this emergency prayer request, and I am going to sleep at the Ronald McDonald House tonight while Dave sleeps here (or doesn't sleep) at the hospital. 
I take Cheryl to the airport tomorrow to go to Denver for a couple weeks. 
Thank you for joining us in prayer on this, we are worried of course.

Orange Conference posts

I will post on the Orange Conference and share my notes. I promise.
We are in a very busy stretch of getting ready for summer action. Also, the weather has been nicer and I've been on my bike more.

keep checking. i will share.

Orange Conference 2008 p2

Day 2 of the Orange conference has been great. Francis Chan, Kristian Stanfill, Donald Miller, Nancy Ortberg, Jennifer Tamborello, Donald Miller, Kid Stuf to the max.

Over the next week or two, I'll be blogging and sharing my notes and thoughts from each session attended. I take take great notes, too.

I'm a tired man. I hope I can sleep well tonight.

BTW - My room at the Sun Suites in Duluth, GA smells and is very noisy. It's a "leave your socks on" kinda place. I don't like the place but for $50 a night we are saving a bundle on lodging that i will get to spend later on taking volunteers to another conference experience.

Orange Conference 2008

I'm in Atlanta attending the Orange Conference. If you came here through twitter 'cause I'm following you now, it would be great to connect, meet and network.

I used the twitter tracking feature to find quite a few people that are attending Orange. If you send 'track orange' to twitter, you'll get every twitter message sent to you that has the word 'orange' in it. (you wouldn't believe how many people twitter about orange juice, orange julius, orange liquor and some orange computer thing)

BTW - I'm a children's ministry director at a reasonably large church in Arvada, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. Our team is working hard to transition the ministry into an orange ministry using 252 and My First Look. For four years prior to my two years in this position I was the CMP at a fast growing church - from 1800 people to 4000 in 28 months. I've done some conference speaking, including the 2006 Purpose Driven Children's Ministry Conference. I really appreciate and value having a strong network of other leaders - that's my purpose for connecting.

Enjoy Orange!

Rider's Log 4.18.08 - On the Road Again! Milliken

This was my first ride on the road bike since last fall. I easily forget how much faster a skinny tire road bike is than a fat tire mountain bike. It was a blast to be out there again.

65 miles. 3:47 ride time. 17mph average.

Rode with Roger (62) and Bruce (55?) through farmlands east of 1-25 from Erie exit north past Ft. St. Vrain into Milliken. We ate a light lunch at a total small town dinner in Milliken and then rode back along the same route (Rd23). I felt great for the first three hours. The fourth hour was tough because it was by far the most effort I've put into the bike since last fall. My legs were screaming "STOP!" but I didn't. I let the two "old" guys drag my butt back. They are very strong riders and drafting is amazing. I imagine my time would have been 45-60 minutes longer if I would have been out solo.

Check out this bald eagle webcam along the route. http://birdcam.xcelenergy.com/eagle.html There are eaglets in the nest right now and you can see them on cam on on the daily snapshots if the cam isn't working. We saw these birds out in the air when we rode past. Phenomenal.

Rider's Log 4.13 and 4.15

Both days about 17 miles up and down the Big Dry Creek Trail and three lung busting shots straight up the City Park Hill. (last summer i was doing 10).

April goal: 200 miles. So far: 34.

Wednesday Afternoon Snack Choices

I wonder if I can eat the snow peas and not the cherry pie goodness.....

any bets?

P.S. The cherry pie is WAY better than gold fish crackers. (you know who I am talking to)

Twitter

According to Wiki...

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-bloggin service that allows users to send "updates" (or "tweets"; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via short message service (e.g. on a cell phone), instant messaging, or a third-party application such as Twitterific or Facebook.

Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and instantly delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. The sender can restrict delivery to those in his or her circle of friends (delivery to everyone is the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, instant messaging, text messages on their phone, email or through an application.

It's called micro-blogging. A great way to be connected with people around the country or in your own neighborhood. I've been doing it for a bit, like it and have connected with other people in my profession around the country. You can read my updates over there on the left or follow me http://twitter.com/johnincolorado

Julian Xane Phillips

David and Stacy Phillips are long-time friends. My wife and I have been been hanging out with them and serving with them for about 14 years. I love them both. Currently David is living in the basement of our home while he continues to work in Colorado so that he can keep Colorado residency and, therefore, his medical insurance at a reasonable rate. Each week he commutes back to Phoenix or, recently, Palo Alto while Julian prepares for a kidney transplant. Julian is a miracle baby. I smile looking at his picture because he is so unique and special; and, I remember the emotional impact of being at his bedside at Children's Hospital while he looked like a Matrix baby because of all of the tubes and holes he had in him immediately after he was born. Learn his story and you'll learn the kid is a survivor. Please read their story, read the updates and watch a video or two of Julian so you too can smile BIG when you see his picture. Also, please consider donating to help them cover their medical costs. - John

From their Children's Organ Transplant Webpage:

On Wednesday October 13th, 2004, Julian Xane was born to Stacy and David Phillips at the Estes Park Medical Center. He was 6 lb. 4 oz. 19" long. Julian was born with Potter's Syndrome, type 4 variant; the urethral valve, which normally allows urine to exit the bladder, was blocked, distending the bladder and severely damaging his kidneys. Most Potter’s babies die within hours of birth, but due to the hard work by the doctors at the Estes Park Medical Center and The Children’s Hospital (Denver) NICU, as well as healing hand of God, Julian survived and is thriving. His life is a miracle, and has even been acknowledged as such by the doctors who worked on him after his birth. Julian’s current diagnosis is End Stage Renal Failure, and his combined kidney function is in the 10% range – severe enough for dialysis, with the long term goal of a kidney transplant.

So here we are.

With the cost of an organ transplant often exceeding $500,000, many transplant patients are unable to shoulder the financial burden of such a procedure. COTA is a national charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-needy patients. At present, an estimated $100,000 is being raised by a team of friends and volunteers on Julian’s behalf. If you’d like to make a donation to Julian’s COTA fund, please click on the “Donate” tab above.

Please pass this web address along to those who may be interested in Julian’s story or in making a donation. Check back from time to time, as we’ll be using this web site to keep people informed about upcoming fundraising events, as well as the new home for Julian’s blog and photo album.

Thanks for visiting.

Stacy, David & Julian Phillips

Read their blog and get updates! Julian is pre-op for surgery as I write. Follow on Twitter @dphillips

Thursday

6:00 a.m. awake. Hang in kitchen. "adios" to kids. shower

7:15 Scrape ice and snow off of car windows. Snow?

7:30 Meet Bill at Flatiron/Interlochen Starbuck's. discuss all things important: kids, jobs, Avalanche hockey, Starbuck's black logo, "Shout to the Lord" on Idol.

9:00 Arrive at work. Meet with Sami and Amy about Kids' Camp.

10:15 Straighten office for 11:30 VIP meeting. check email, clean up main CM space

11:30 Meet and talk with VIP

12:30 Give VIP tour of downstairs space

12:45 Hand off video project to editor

1:00 Meet with peers to debrief VIP meeting

2:00 Back in office. email. weekend prep.

3:30 This post

4:00 Weekend prep. powerpoint. music playlists. props gathered. stay at church until 8:30 so i can give L15 a ride home after youth group.

8:30 Home.

8:50 Weekend begins.

What are you supposed to be doing?

Classroom/Child Management Help

If a child's not doing what he's supposed to be doing, he usually knows what he is supposed to be doing. So, in a friendly voice, ask the child, “John, what are you supposed to be doing right now?” When you ask, do your best to make sure it sounds like a question and not a statement. You might even need to practice a few times beforehand. If the child answers correctly he'll often start doing what you want him to do without any further prompting. Sometimes, it might be necessary to follow up with, “What are you going to do now?” He'll usually correct his own behavior and comply.

If a child gives you a response that indicates he doesn’t know what he's supposed to be doing, ask him to look at the other kids and see what they are doing or give him a direct instruction. Be sure to encourage children when they comply with your requests.

Variation: When a child is behaving in a way they are not supposed to behave, such as using a doll as a hammer, ask him if he's supposed to use a doll as a hammer. He'll usually know the answer and stop on his own and you won’t even have to tell him what to do. He's made the wise choice on his own.

What do you think? Have you ever used this? Any favorite techniques in your bag of tricks?

Last Weekend

Last Friday was horrible. Massive headache. Migraine. Pain. I was up early and started a repair job on the car at 9:00 but felt so badly that by 10 I was in a dark place in the house with a blanket over my head. I stayed that way until 10 that night.

Saturday I made up for lost time by getting a lot done. I met over breakfast with a guy I mentor professionally, unloaded a freezer that someone gave to us, loaded, unloaded and stacked a load of wood, got the lawn aerated, worked some wrench magic replacing two belts on the car engine, late in the day rode 25 miles on the bike and cooked chicken on the BBQ. It was a good day.

Sunday afternoon we all met at the in-laws for some of mom-in-law's gooood fried chicken, relaxed hanging out and some weird physical challenges. How long can you hold one leg out and extended while you sit in a chair? How long can you stand on one foot? How long can you hold a push-up position - two hands and two feet with your body straight? The competition was tough and ruthless! I don't want to brag about my domination of the events...cause that would be lying. I didn't dominate, but I did compete.

Had any good family times lately?

Thursday

Moved from the couch to the bed at 5:10 a.m. (L is out of town - fell asleep watching Seinfeld)

5:15 a.m. L15's first alarm goes off. (last night i kindly told L15 and A16 that i'm not waking them anymore at 5:40 a.m.)

5:20 L15's second alarm

5:25 L15's third alarm

5:45 A16 alarm goes off

6:00 Me up and in the shower

6:10 out of shower.

6:20 encounter L15 dashing from bathroom to bedroom(they catch the bus at 6:25)

6:20 While Alex is standing bewildered in the dark, casually tell L15, "Hey, I don't know what your plans are for getting to school this morning, but I'm leaving at 7:00 and will be headed in the direction of the school on my way to meet Bill." major relief from A16 and L15.

7:00 leave house and take kids to school. A16 says he wasn't worried about getting to school cause he knew he'd get a ride.

7:01 Make plan for how to be unavailable to give him a ride next time he over sleeps. (natural consequences?)

7:20 Call L and chat with her. (Forget to wish her Happy Birthday) Go to wrong Starbuck's.

7:40 Correct Starbuck's with Bill. Remember I forgot to tell L Happy Birthday. Chat about all things important - Rockies, Bill's move to NC, marriages, kids, wacky family.

10:15 arrive at work. read The American Church in Crisis...at least try to focus. email.

11:30 Wonderful couple arrives with new cloth banner for CM space. Hang banner downstairs. It looks wonderful.

12:20 20 minutes late to lunch with special guest, Derek, from Kennsington Church. Creative and good place.

1:10 leave lunch early. Organize office a bit. Check a blog or two. Write this post

4:00 will leave to pick up A16 from home and take him to school for the Battle of the Bands. Take Lizzy home from track.

4:45 TBD. it's my Friday!!!! Maybe enjoy a precious Chili beer?

Rider's Log 3.30.08 - 12 easy miles

Distance 12.4 miles.  Ride Time 1:05.  Total time 1:05.  Avs 12.0.  Temp low 40s

BDCT east 6 miles and back.  Slow riding.  No strain.  Easy effort.

March goal: 120 miles.  Total for the month 200.

Rider's Log 3.29.08 - too much?

Distance 25.1 miles. Ride time 1:58. Total time 2:00. Avs 12.7 mph. Temp high 60s

BDCT to I-25 then west and north around lake east of McKay Landing. Back to BDCT home. My time to I-25 was sub28 but was wind aided. My legs were empty west bound and i really crawled back. I'm thinking that the interval work has taken a toll on my legs this early in the season w/o enough recovery time and a long ride mileage base. 82 miles in 4 days with a couple of days of intervals/high intensity. Nutrition could make a difference, too. i had two eggs for breakfast at about 9:30 which was nearly two hours before the ride. My tank could have been empty.

A great 4 days of time on the bike. I'm looking forward to some long 3+ hour rides on the trail system and really looking forward to early sunrises and hitting the road on the road bike.

March goal: 120 miles. Total so far: 188. I'll need to sneak in 12 easy miles tomorrow afternoon to hit the 200 mark. 200 miles in March will be the most since 2002 and living in sunny Arizona.

Rider's Log 3.28.08 - BDCT - Standley Lake

Distance 16.2 miles. Ride time 1:23. Total Time 1:25. Avs 11.7. Temp 50 (gear note: @50 degrees i started with under layer and cold weather jersey = too cold. added wind jacket and it was perfect. shorts fine)

West to Standley Lake and road "the hill" 3 times and did not feel good or strong. (it is still March after all) Rode back on BDCT to Front Range Community College and then back home.

There is a big difference between doing flatland intervals and high % grade intervals! Reminder: if you want to get strong on hills/mountains, you've got to ride hills and mountains. I'm still hoping to find a short cut strategy for mountain strength.....

Saw nothing of interest other than the usual scurrying prairie dogs. They crack me up, those little buddies.

March Goal: 120 miles. So far: 163. 200? if i ride 25-30 today and a few tomorrow.

how are you doing on your exercise goals for 2008?

Rider's Log 3.27.08 2+ hours

Distance 27.2 miles.  Ride time 2:17.  Total time 2:28.  Avs 11.9.  Temp in the mid 40s

Long, slow ride to north side of Standley Lake, to I-25 and back.

I've never seen so few people out on the trail.  Maybe I saw 6 people all 27 miles

Saw a bald eagle from the eagle viewing blind at Standley Lake.  First time I've seen one up there.

March goal: 120 miles  So far - 147 miles.  Can I get to 200?  I think I can.

 

are you exercising this year?

Rider's Log 3.26.08 Intervals

Distance 24.2 miles Ride time 1:48 AVS 13.4 mph

Big Dry Creek Trail to I-25 to Farmer's High Line to Big Dry Creek +

Did the Carmichael 2x2 interval workout: warm up, 5 2x2s, 5 minute recovery, 5 2x2s. rode another 12 miles after.

Rode down the spur off the High Line trail that's parallel to I-25 and over the pedestrian overpass over I-25. It was actually kinda spooky - a 4' narrow path totally fenced in with chain link 30-40 feet over car and truck flying by at 80 mph.

the interval training is amazing. i'm looking forward to discovering the results of this workout when i jump on the road bike and head into the mountains. at some point, i'll need to increase the maximum output intervals to 7 or 8 minutes so i can take on the steep rises in the canyons.

I am so encouraged to be riding in March for the first time in 4 years.

March goal: 120 miles. So far - 120 miles. I'm gonna try and top it my 40 or 50% in the next two days.

Today is THE day to leave early

The forecast is in:

But it is 75 and sunny today! I'd better get out of here now and enjoy the good weather.

A 2 o'clock exit today. Rider's Log to follow...

Hey Jude

I may be a little behind the curve on posting this but i love it.

naaaah nah nah nah nah nah naaaaah. nah nah nah naaaaaaah hey jude

"you can make it berrer!" what is your favorite line? tell me.

Stupid Human Tricks

Campus cops nab mirror slinging suspect

By Jessica Fender
The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 03/24/2008 09:30:44 AM MDT

A shattered mirror means bad luck for two Boulder men: Rolf William Johnson, the college student arrested for throwing the object from a dorm room window, and an unidentified man seriously injured by the falling glass.

The 19-year-old Johnson, a University of Colorado at Boulder student from Pennsylvania, sat in Boulder County Jail Saturday on reckless endangerment and second- and third-degree assault charges.

Campus police arrived outside the Stearns West Residence Hall early Friday morning to find shattered glass and a 20-year-old male victim heavily bleeding from where the mirror struck him on the neck and back of the head.

He was sent by ambulance to Boulder Community Hospital, where staff did not release his condition.

A 19-year-old woman, also unidentified, suffered lacerations to her feet from ricocheting shards of glass. She was released after being treated on the scene.

Police believe Johnson threw or dropped the mirror from one of the windows in the 13-story dorm building on Friday around 2:30 a.m.

Hmmm. I wonder what the likelihood is that he was NOT as smashed as his mirror......I'm lucky I never did that in my college days. I was perfectly capable of something like that. I feel bad for the people on the ground. and for the stupid guy.

Imagine the conversation....Rolf: "Hi, Mom? Ummm. I'm in jail. Why? I threw the mirror from my 13th floor dorm room out the window and almost killed someone."   Mom: "Well, good luck with that, son. Let me know how you like jail."  I hope his parents don't rescue him from this one and let him feel the heat and consequences of his actions.

12:15 UPDATE:  Evidently drugs or alcohol were not involved.  wow.  Interesting that he is still being held until he pays his bond.  maybe mom and dad wouldn't or couldn't pay it for him so he's sitting in jail and trying to figure out what to do.  denver post article  i can't wait to find out what his motivation was.

Rider's Log 3.22.08 -BDCT-Intervals

Distance 21 miles Ride time 1:34

Average Speed 13.1 Big Dry Creek Trail to I-25 to Wadsworth to home. 2x2 intervals

After warming up, I did 5 sets of 2x2 intervals (2 minutes maximum effort/2 minutes recovery) followed by 5 minutes recovery then another 5 sets of 2x2 intervals. I finished the last interval north of City Park and rode on to Wadsworth and turned around there. My AVS was 14.1 at the end of the intervals; 13.1 by the end of the ride.

These little dawgs are all over the open spaces and run their fat butts like crazy when i come by. sometimes, if they realize it's too late to run, they strike a pose and freeze. i think they do this hoping to go unseen. hawks are often circling overhead looking for a good meal of dawg meat.

96 miles in March. Goal is 120.

Technorati Tags: cycling,rider's log

Awareness Test

Be aware and give cyclists room on the road. Don't make us put our lives in serious jeopardy.

Rider's Log 3.21.08 - Big Dry Creek Trail and more

Big Dry Creek trail to I-25 to connector to Farmer's Highline Canal to Cottonwood to BDCT to home.

20 miles. WINDY. 18mph east bound. 11 mph westbound.

75 miles this month.

Technorati Tags: rider's log,farmer's highline canal,big dry creek trail,westminster,thornton,northglenn,bicycle

Thursday

5:45 am wake up A15 and L14; back in bed

6:15 am out of bed. see kids off, sit on chair and ponder deep things

6:45 am shower; iron clothes; gather lunch

7:50am leave for work. get angry at BIG truck that pulled out in front of oncoming traffic

8:00am Target stop for gum. I wanted gum

8:30am in office. realize i am angry. emails, paper shuffle, phone calls. stuff.

10:10am write this post

11:30am leave for lunch appointment with GREAT friend. we share REAL. looking forward to it

1:30 pm back in office. prep for sunday.

3:00 meet with storyteller for 3.30.08 to plan

3:45pm leave for L14's 1st track meet. i am excited for her!

Dinner. Home. Drink a Billy's Chilies bomber or connect with Curt for other activities.

Sleep.

try again tomorrow.

Not busy enough for my own good?

Yesterday was a bust for me at work. I wasn't busy enough. I had a great opportunity to get a day ahead on my stuff. Wendy, one the assistants, is back in the office after a few weeks out. I'd been doing her stuff the last few weeks which took 4-5 hours on Monday or Tuesday and the extra work made me be efficient with my time each day. Yesterday, I didn't have the extra 4 hours of stuff to do, my afternoon appointment canceled, and the result was a whole block of extra time in the afternoon. I didn't use it well. I wasted it.

no guilt, though. I know what i need to do differently. stay busy.

i use the countdown timer on my sporty watch to measure and make me aware of the time i spend on the internet. i don't like saying it, but the 'net is compulsive and a bit obsessive for me. often, i'll be working on something at my desk and without any conscious thought, i'll have switched myself to the computer looking at sports scores, email or headlines or whatever distracts me. when i am managing this well, i set the timer on the watch for 30 minutes and check my email 2 times per hour. i keep the computer closed and i even have another time set for 5 minutes to remind me to keep it quick. i need that.

this system works very well for me when i am busy with plenty of urgent and important things to do. however, when i have work to do that can wait, and extra time in my schedule, i don't manage this as well. yesterday was one of those days - extra time and no pressure to get things done. i wasted time.

Today? No chance. A ton to do. Two appointments this afternoon. I will get a lot done. i promise.

Rider's Log 3.15.08

10 minute warm-up. Big Dry Creek - I-25 and back. 10 minute cool-down. 55 degrees, full finger gloves, tights; comfy.

20 miles 1:33 ride time

my goal is to get 120 miles in March. 55 so far.

History Starts Now

This is a video I produced with my friend and colleague, Tim Allarid. We designed this to express the importance and urgency of children's ministry in the local church. We'd love to know what you think.

The song is Five for Fightings, "World" I first saw the concept for this video at gccwired.com.

Check out more creativity at ragamuffin soul

Zuckerberg/Lacy Fiasco at SXSW

Great post on NussbaumOnDesign about Sarah Lacy interviewing Mark Zuckerberg at SXSW last week.

Here's the key point that absolutely has significance for us communicator types in the postmodern world:

"Sarah Lacy made the mistake of playing an old, traditional, mainstream journalist role in her interview with Facebook’s Zuckerberg. Lacy is an excellent journalist with some of the best contacts in Silicon Valley. Her articles in the past have been right on. She might even know more people in the Valley than Zuckerberg. And if you read the transcript of the interview, not just view it, Lacy asked all the right, probing questions. Unfortunately, in that interview, Lacy often played the role the authority and made herself the center of attention. She focused only on Zuckerberg and didn't connect with the audience. She left them out of the conversation and didn't even allow questions until the very end of the interview. Big mistake. Today, you must always involve the audience in anything that takes place onstage. People want the interraction, they have the knowledge and--it's more fun."

There's more to the post but this seems huge to me.  How do we communicate with our 2.0 savy audience?  Interaction.  Don't play the role of authority.  Keep them in the conversation.  Great stuff to think about.

Good thoughts in the comments, too.  You can watch the video here.

 

Technorati Tags: Mark Zuckerberg,Sarah Lacy,SXSW,nussbaumondesign,SXSW 08,SXSW keynote

My Thursday

up and in the shower at 6 a.m.

30 minute nice conversation with L

7:30 starbuck's with oldbill. been meeting with this friend for 6 years

9:30 in office - email check. blog check. office circuit to say hi to all. reading, thinking, prayer

12:00 VIP lunch meeting

2:00 children's ministry "life moment" spot meeting

3:00 wrap up tasks for weekend - study teaching, finish powerpoint, leader email encourager

Home for the weekend.

update: stayed at office until 8:45...daughter at youth group and i was her ride home.

the pic in the background is an album cover from a recording of beethoven's eroica symphony..not erotica...

post idea from scott at scotthodge.org

Rider's Log 3.08.08 - 1st ride of 2008

Big Dry Creek Trail to I-25. 16 miles in 1:20. tail wind east. 55-59 degrees.

Need to wear full finger gloves at that temp. legs were fine in shorts

i hope i left some winter weight on the trail.

World Vision

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Motivated by faith in Jesus Christ, World Vision serves alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of God's unconditional love for all people. They focus on community development, disaster relief and global issues.

As a family we've been sponsoring children through World Vision for about 15 years. Right now we sponsor 12 year old Yohanns in Ethiopia, 17 year old Friday in Zambia and 4 year old Laziya in Uganda. We sponsored Annet in Uganda until recently when she was married and is no longer participating in the program.

Here's Laziya. Her Birthday was yesterday.

Yohanns.

Friday

Do you sponsor children?

Coming soon...letters from Friday.

Technorati Tags: World Vision

Prayer of the Heart 1

"To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart and there stand before the face of the Lord ever-present, all-seeing, within you."

Theophan the Recluse, as quoted by Henri Nouwen in "The Way of the Heart"

Real prayer penetrates the marrow of our soul and leaves nothing untouched

..it opens the eyes of our soul to the truth of ourselves as well as to the truth of God.

...hide absolutely nothing from God and surrender ourselves unconditionally to his mercy.

...prayer that does not allow us to limit our relationship with God to interesting words or pious emotions.

Nouwen

I'm asking God to make me prayerful in these ways.

Technorati Tags: Henri Nouwen,prayer,Theophan the Recluse

John's Reading Lounge

T11 put two chairs together today and i took them over when i got home.  Two chairs together make one good size chair for a big man like me.

8:30p.m. on a Monday night

Laura's at a Bible study. I've been reading.

Here's what the kids are up to:

This is L14 asleep under the covers. I woke her up so she could brush and go to bed.

M13 is drawing in a sketchbook.

A15 is playing guitar

T11 is reading

Our home is blessed.

What's going on in your home?

Living Life with Three Teenagers...

"There are times when parenthood seems nothing but feeding the mouth that bites you." -- Peter De Vries

Life is a roller coaster at our house and the teen moments are really pushing me away from thinking I'm not much different than the 25 year old i used to be. I am being pushed over the hill of middle age.

Now the battle against it begins! (smiling as i type)

Family Times

We had a GREAT time playing a game as a family last night. Played SKipBo. The actual game didn't matter. It was family time. A15 (total adolescent) was so flippin' funny. He really busted out. L14 (edge of adolescence) laughed at my jokes. It was fantastic.

I continue to be reminded over and over and over and over again that time around the dinner table is just about the best time we can ever have as a family. When L and I sense disconnection with our family we plan a big meal. Too many sleepovers and camps pulling us apart? Plan the big meal. Favorite foods, good dessert and we find victory. We are a busy family and have to do these on purpose.

I hope this post will remind me when I forget. about family time.

A Few of MY Favorite Things

Pudge posted his list and I'm copying the

idea.

 Moleskine Notebooks - i can reach 4 moleskine notebooks from my desk right now without getting up: planner/diary, small reporter, regular size w/grid and the larger cahier (sp?) soft cover with grid. LOVE ‘em - been using moleskine for about 6 or 7 years.

Leatherman Juice - it’s orange. pliers, bottle opener, screw drivers…it even has a knife on it!   ha. Not a day goes by that i don’t use it. best part? my 4 kids bought it for me for Christmas a few years ago because they knew i had a serious crush on the juice.

Swiss army backpack - has a nifty suspended laptop pocket.  two large spaces for books

The Message/Remix - makes it clear.  like having Phillip next to the ethiopian

 

the 4 other small black notebooks i use for different purposes.  staff meeting notes, speeches/talks, journal, small notebook for paper,  and an action planner

staedtler 9505 .5mm mechanical pencil - the eraser is the best part

Zuma video game on my phone - makes bathroom time more fun.

Timex Ironman icontrol watch - i bought the one that controls an ipod. works great to control ambient sound in CM environments without hitting getting to the sound board in the back of the room.

Technorati Tags: moleskine,leatherman,wenger,staedtler,timex icontrol,zuma,the message/remix

U23D opens Wednesday!

The official site

Read the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes!

I'll see it on the largest screen and biggest sound system that i can find.  Will you see it?

Technorati Tags: U2 3D,rotten tomatoes,U2

It's Personal part 2

 

Great story.  Check it.

Don't Send in the Clowns!

LONDON (Reuters) - Bad news for Coco and Blinko -- children don't like clowns and even older kids are scared of them.

The news that will no doubt have clowns shedding tears was revealed in a poll of youngsters by researchers from the University of Sheffield who were examining how to improve the decor of hospital children's wards.

The study, reported in the Nursing Standard magazine, found all the 250 patients aged between four and 16 they quizzed disliked the use of clowns, with even the older ones finding them scary.

"As adults we make assumptions about what works for children," said Penny Curtis, a senior lecturer in research at the university.

"We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable."

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Steve Addison)

Rest in Peace Sir Edmund

Ray Lilley, AP

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest to win renown as one of the 20th century's greatest adventurers, has died, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Friday. He was 88.

The gangling New Zealander devoted much of his life to aiding the mountain people of Nepal and took his fame in stride, preferring to be called "Ed" and considering himself just an ordinary beekeeper.

"Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity," Clark said in a statement.

"The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived," she said.

Hillary's life was marked by grand achievements, high adventure, discovery, excitement — and by his personal humility. Humble to the point that he only admitted being the first man atop Everest long after the death of climbing companion Tenzing Norgay.

He had pride in his feats. Returning to base camp as the man who took the first step onto the top of the world's highest peak, he declared: "We knocked the bastard off."

The rest of the article here:  Edmund Hillary, first atop Everest, dies

 

Technorati Tags: Edmund Hillary,Everest

Peace On Earth

I'm listening to the U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind album this morning.  Peace On Earth played on my iPod.  Good song; good heart.  Check out the lyrics:

Heaven on earth We need it now
I'm sick of all of this Hanging around
Sick of sorrow I'm sick of the pain
I'm sick of hearing Again and again
That there's gonna be
Peace on earth
Where I grew up There weren't many trees
Where there was we'd tear them down And use them on our enemies
They say that what you mark Will surely overtake you
And you become a monster So the monster will not break you
And its already gone too far You said that if you go in hard You wont get hurt
Jesus can you take the time To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on earth
Tell the ones who hear no sound Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on earth
No who's or whys No one cries like a mother cries
For peace on earth
She never got to say goodbye To see the color in his eyes Now hes in the dirt
Peace on earth
They're reading names out Over the radio
All the folks the rest of us Wont get to know
Sean and Julia, Gareth, Anne and peter
Their lives are bigger than Any big idea
Jesus can you take the time To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on earth
To tell the ones who hear no sound Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on earth
Jesus in the song you wrote The words are sticking in my throat
Peace on earth
Hear it every Christmas time But hope and history wont rhyme
So what's it worth
This peace on earth
Peace on earth
Peace on earth
Peace on earth

Technorati Tags: U2,Peace on earth