Change of plans

So today was a long run day with John.  We did not intend to run to Lake Ray Roberts.  We didn’t intend to run on the equestrian trail.  We also didn’t plan on spending 2 hours on this little adventure nor was it our idea to scare off a baby wild boar.  I wasn’t planning on spending the rest of the weekend recovering either.

We had a blast, but now I’m exhausted.  I’m really starting to dig the Greenbelt Corridor and it’s miles and miles of trails — it’s a welcome break from the asphalt and concrete that I usually see.  And getting to take a break sitting on the rocks at the south end of the lake was the icing on the cake.

At Starbucks working on some websites, sipping on some green tea.  It’s kind of like my second office — better than my actual office.  I should bring a name plate to put on my table.  Maybe bring a small plant and some other office nick-nacks.  Back to work — no blogging on “company time” :-)

On a side note — this is how much of a geek I am.  I slept with my HR monitor on to see what my HR was while I slept — avg was 58!  I feel healthy ;-)

Local?

I had a great conversation with Adam the other day about Church and it either confirmed that I’m NOT crazy OR that we are BOTH equally crazy.  I’m hoping for the former.  I’d love to  hear your opinions on the matter as well.

Really, my thoughts can be summed up into church size.  I have seen no spiritual advantages of a congregation of 5,000 people vs a congregation of 100.  Oh, I have seen some of the amazing things a large congregation can do because of their resources — but what positive affect does a larger congregation have on an individual’s spiritual growth?  I can’t think of any.

If you didn’t already know, I’m a member of the Village Church (which technically makes me Baptist despite my Wesleyan and Methodist roots) which is a multi-site, multiple thousand member church with an average weekly attendance of around 5,000 people across 9 different services in 2 locations.  The church’s small group model is that of “we are a church of small groups” — meaning the idea is to have everyone apart of a smaller group, which is where community is suppose to happen.  Home group leaders rely on home group coaches (each coach responsible for 3-5 leaders) and those coaches rely on area pastors for support.  Membership at the Village requires being in a home group.  In theory, every member would then be a part of a small group and a that group a part of a number of groups creating mini churches which breaks the 2000+ membership into much more manageable and practical numbers.

I’ve seen the flow chart, and I think it’s a great idea — but I haven’t seen a working example.  I’ve been to the home group leader retreat and listened to the new plan to make all of our ministries fit into our group model but I don’t really see how they intend to make this all work.  I don’t understand why we don’t plant more churches… or… equip and train people to go and serve in congregations where we already live.

My local church is anything BUT local for most of us who attend — why is that?  How much more effective would the local church be if it were local?  What do you think?  How far do you go to “go to church”?

This one’s for Ryan…

Ryan Finnerud, I hope you’re reading…

Link to the person who tagged you — Caitlin.
- Post the rules on your blog.
- Write six random things about yourself.
- Tag six people at the end of your post.
- Let each person know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
- Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

  1. Apparently I have an abnormally high max heart rate of around 215 bpm.  Yeah, the “220 – your age” formula doesn’t really work for me.  I did have a doctor tell me I have a heart murmur back when I was 18 — but he said it was the non-serious type
  2. I originally moved to the north Texas area in 2006 with plans of getting a Master’s in Theology from DTS.
  3. Now I want to be a college professor.  In college I remember saying that I would never want to teach…
  4. I have downloaded MacSaber and swung my MBP around like a light saber… a $2000 light saber…  (although I suppose a REAL light saber would cost at LEAST as much).
  5. When I worked at SFA I e-mailed the director for disability services to see if being left-handed could be considered a disability.  I was only half serious.  No, it’s not a disability; I’ll just have to live with the discrimination.
  6. Because of this, I had to learn to play the guitar upside down.

Okay, I’m only tagging bloggers who need to blog because they haven’t in way to long.  This is your chance to make a come back!

Ryan Finnerud – this is your warning.  I have posted comments on your blog every month for over a year waiting for you to post an update.  If you don’t post something soon, I’m not going to be your friend anymore — and I’ll confiscate your Taylor T5 — and I’ll kick your dog.  If you don’t have a dog, I’ll buy you one and then kick it.  The clock is ticking…

As Promised…

Pictures from my last 3 races — 3 5K’s in 3 months!

SpringFest 08 in Allen, TX
John, Me, and Stacy — my co-workers from UNT.  Post-run pic.

Dadfest 08 — Texas Stadium, Irving, TX
John and I post run.

Liberty Run 08 — Denton, TX
Pre-run pic

EDIT — this photo is for Carmi, who apparently needed proof that actual running took place at these events.  I submit for your review, Exhibit A:  Ask the 7 year old girl and her dad in the background about how I left them in my dust in the final stretch, shown here.

Nevermind the fact that it took me all of 3 miles to catch up to them…  What do they feed these kids??