Version 4.1 BETA • jaledwith.com
I uploaded a new video! This one is from the NCP reunion this past New Years. It’s our appearance on CBS’s Early Show. I’m in back of the people holding the blue sign, wearing a black wool cap (you can hardly see me unfortunately, but the rest of our crew is fairly visible). To get to it click on the videos link on the navigation bar above. Hope you enjoy it.
Edit: Youtube removed the video because it showed copyrighted material.
I have just completed an incredible week. So many friends. So many places. So much money spent. So much fun. And I want to jump right into it… but I really can’t. I have two things I need to tell you first, then I can talk about New York and all the fun there in.
I figured it might be good to post an update before I am computer-less for the next five days. Tomorrow morning I’m leaving to go to Soul Fest in New Hampshire and won’t be back until Sunday night. I’m pretty sure I’ll be without the internet for the duration (ahh!) so now would be a good time to fill in the post-NCP blanks.
Quote of the Day #1: “Excuse me… you’re not dead!” — Shane Campbell, the five-year-old son of one of the NCP team leaders, while trying to revive Ross Kozloski
Quote of the Day #2: “Painting with words, that’s what I think of.” — Christiaan Gort, describing the way that I talk
This will be my last entry from Colorado Springs. I have to admit, I’m not too sad to leave my job, but it’s going to be tough to leave the people. I’ve really grown close to them over the last two months. I will be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning and will be touching down in Boston at around dinnertime.
Quote of the Day #1: “In light of the gifts I’ve been given, how can I make the greatest contribution to the Great Commission?” — Jerry Bridges, speaking about one of his ‘a-ha’ moments in life
Quote of the Day #2: “Are you selling flowers or beauty?” — Paul Stanley, speaking on leadership
Another long blog hiatus. I’ve got to tell you about last week, particularly about meal setup. Every week a different team is in charge of setting up the meals. That includes bringing the food from the main kitchen to where we’re eating, setting out all the various plates and silverware and condiments, and cleaning up afterwards. It doesn’t sound like much, but one thing involved is that you have to get to every meal about a half hour before it starts. That includes breakfast, which normally starts at 7 AM. Now that’s no big deal for me because I already get up really early for work. But the problem is I’m supposed to start work and start meal setup at 6:30 AM, and my job is the only one where I can’t just set things aside until I get around to them. The conferences are going to start up regardless. So I was starting work at 6 AM and getting up at 5 AM all last week. It was killer. Our setup week ended last Sunday and not a moment too soon.
Quote of the Day: “A numbness about the brain and heart — one we have experienced too often, but never get used to — had set in. Passers-by of numerous nationalities and ethnicities nodded to one another without speaking, but communicating volumes. Their body language and visages said they were Londoners — natives and transplants, residents and transients — united by a common humanity and understanding in the face of uncommon inhumanity.” — Barry Lorge, sports columnist for The San Diego Union and ESPN.com, in this column regarding “the incidents in London”
First I would like to wish a happy birthday to Lindy Davis, who turns 22 today (I think).
So what’s happened in the last week and a half? Quite a bit actually. I have to start with what happened on the last Monday of June…
A conversation over the conference services radio channel.
David: Did you say you were in the kitchen or the carriage house?
Tim: Carriage house. I’m moving this carriage all by my lonesome.
David: Okay, we’ll come over there soon so you won’t be so… lonely.
Tim: I’m just kidding. I haven’t started moving it yet. I’m inside watching TV.
Tim: Don’t tell Jake.
Jake: I’ve already heard.
Jake: It’s so hard to find good help these days.
Tim: And good bosses.
David: We have an opening.
I heart conference services.
FSU isn’t getting anyone from EDGE Corps.
For those not familiar with EDGE, basically it’s a Navigator program that’s 1 year long (with an option for a second year) where you’re placed on a college campus with your purpose being to mentor student believers and reach the lost on the campus. The plan was that we were going to be getting two girls for this coming year. A full EDGE team is two guys and two girls, so we were already getting only half a team. But we were still excited and encouraged (I say “we” because I assume the rest of the FSU Navs share my feelings about EDGEers). If you look down to my last post you’ll see a little something about a talk I had with Dave Wirgau on Monday afternoon. As of that point we were all systems go to be getting these women for our campus. That evening and the next day things fell apart. I’m not going to go into the details in such a public forum, but the end result is that one of the girls will be working at the Glen this year and the other will be at Clemson.
This has been a great weekend (remember, I have Tuesday and Wednesday off). But really it all started on Monday when I got to hang out with Dave Wirgau right before I left for team weekend. We hiked up Dawson’s Trail but didn’t go to Daws’ grave. We stopped short and sat down in his old seat. You see, there’s this natural chair made out of two shapely rocks that overlook all of Colorado Springs. It was the place that Dawson went to most to pray. Dave took me there and started telling me all about the promises of God that Daws was claiming there years before. I have had a lot of great talks with Dave, some more emotional and memorable than others. This one was very special to me. I don’t know how many times he’s been able to do this with someone he’s been discipling. The Glen is a special place to the Navs and to Dave, who was spoken to on Daws’ trail in much the same way as he spoke to me by the man who discipled him in college. I have such respect and adoration for him, and the fact that he shared something like this with me just seems unbelievable to me.
It has been one crazy week. This job is tough! Especially when you’re working it alone. Most of the mornings so far I’ve been the only one working conference services in the whole Glen. So from 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM I’m in charge. It has been especially difficult when dealing with a group here for a Larry Crab conference. Now don’t misunderstand. I like the guy (I got to meet him); I have no problem with him. But some of his staff can be jerks when they don’t get exactly what they want exactly when they want it. They’ve been here since last Friday and don’t leave until tomorrow. One of the many demands (sorry, requests) they’ve made this past week was to adjust the spotlights to be shining on the speaker. Doesn’t sound hard, I know. But these lights are about 15 feet in the air without any remote control. So Tim and I got the tallest ladder we could find. Still didn’t reach. So I gave Tim a mop and he wiggled the lights into place. Yeah, we’re going to be on next year’s safety video. The wedding didn’t go as bad as I thought it would. No bride-zilla. No mom-zilla. We pulled it off. I directed traffic for the majority of the festivities. (No, I didn’t have to wear an orange vest.) Tim will be gone through Sunday because he’s the best man in a wedding, so I’ll be working alone for the next few days. I’m not looking forward to it.
