Rest

Almost two years into my job here in Hutchinson, one of the greatest challenges has been the pace that things run at in a bigger church. I have often found myself tired, grumpy, uninspired and struggling to get things done. And then there are the bad days...

To help correct that and keep me and my family sane Shiloh and I have been working toward me finding better space away from church and work. I want to be in youth ministry for a long time, so I need to find rest in Christ and with my family regularly.

To that end, last weekend we went to my aunt and uncle's house in Oklahoma. It is one of the most restful places on the planet to me. And I came back with some new energy and decidedly non-grumpy attitude.

A few pics and a video:

30 Days- August

I have decided to give myself 30 day challenges each month to help gain some self-discipline and to do things that interest me or would better my life. I will tell about each of these after they are done.

This month I gave up all non-water drinks. Including coffee. Coffee. For a month the very smell of that wonderful drink has driven me crazy. Even though it's been incredibly hot, I have wanted just a sip of the java. Or two sips. Or maybe just an entire pot. But I reminded myself of my goal and I waited. Until yesterday when my 30 days were up. I went all in with about 32oz of coffee between 815 and 915 yesterday morning. At first, things were fine. I enjoyed the taste and smell and the small caffeine kick.

Then trouble came. I started feeling a little dizzy. Things started to move around the room and I had a headache. What was my good friend coffee doing to me? Was it punishing me for ignoring it for so long? I hadn't thought coffee grounds could be angry, but now I knew differently. I trudged through an afternoon meeting feeling terrible and waited for the effects to wear off.

In the end, I feel like this 30 days taught me that I rely way too much on coffee (or pop) to keep me going and that I need to drink it occasionally and not every day in copious amounts.