Tag Archive - Lubbock

Is This Weird?

April 11, 2008 in Personal with 0 Comments

Due to 40mph winds and the Lubbock Spring dirt storms, I decided to head indoors to my local gym to run on the treadmill. Believe it or not, but I’ve never done it before. I guess I prefer the open road ahead of me, and the feeling of actually getting somewhere.

This gym is much like other gyms, and every treadmill has a TV screen that you can plug your headphones into. I ran while watching the last few innings of a baseball game. However, I couldn’t help but look around the room to see what others were watching. It was pretty typical, most guys were watching a variety of EPSN channels, and most women were locked into HGTV.


However the lady right next to me watched the shopping channel for most of the hour. Is that weird? I wouldn’t watch this channel if I was a millionaire without the ability to go shopping. Nothing makes my world stop down faster than listening to a slimey salesmen go on and on about some new kitchen knife or a watch that they only have a limited supply of for the next 15 minutes. I can’t imagine watching this channel while working out. What’s the motivation?

Things I Miss about Dallas

April 8, 2008 in Personal with 1 Comment

When I left North Texas last April and headed out West, I knew I would miss some of the people I’ve grown close to over my 7 years living in Dallas. From those I went to school with to those I worked along side of. However, I didn’t know how much I would miss some other things.

I’ve been lamenting all day that this is the first Opening Day at the Ballpark in Arlington (or whatever they call it now) I haven’t been at in 5 years. It was always one of the family traditions, and my kids don’t know they’re missing it; but their Dad sure knows. (By the way, I would drive, if not for the $250 round trip gas costs to drive from Lubbock to Arlington.) So today I’ll try and catch the score online somewhere and remember with good feelings the scary jet flyovers, the red, white, and blue bunting decorating the field, the long player introductions, eating peanuts and soda with my kids, and singing the national anthem. I miss it…


I also miss the beautiful Texas Bluebonnets. Just don’t see much chance of encountering bluebonnets out here in Lubbock. It’s a combination of no traceable rainfall in about 6 months, and the fact that only cotton and grain grows out here!

So if you’re in my old hometown then please take a kid to a Ranger game and take some pictures with the Bluebonnets!

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Now playing: Robbie Seay Band – Starting Over
via FoxyTunes

Crunching Budgets

April 7, 2008 in Ministry with 0 Comments

It’s Budget time at the church. Which means sorting and resorting through line-item printouts and seeing what areas need more money, and which areas might need less than the year before. When I got here in Lubbock the budget process was almost finished, so I inherited a setup that I’ve had to work with all year. As with most things inherited, I had to make the best of something that I didn’t necessarily create. (Which could be a long blog post all on it’s own…) This time around I get to change everything, and I’m tearing it up. I’m renaming line items, and creating some new things for our next ‘Budget’ year.

At Trinity, we use the Logic Model method to help set our budgets. Logic Models force every department to plan out the year’s events, and then justify those events by outlining the purpose and vision for each event; then we have to plan out how we will quantify whether the event is a success or not. (We consider Sunday Morning ministry an event.) So we have to create our 2008/2009 Logic Model first, then we can start crunching numbers.

It’s messy, but so pretty when it’s all finished. I can’t say enough how refreshing it is to have every number on my budget accountable to something I’m supposed to have planned out 12 months in advance. Maybe it fits my personality perfectly, but I like being forced to be future oriented!

4 Days and Counting…

March 19, 2008 in Ministry with 1 Comment

I posted about my planning for Easter a few weeks ago, but now Easter is in plain sight. I think I’ve crossed all the T’s and dotted all the I’s (I could have uttered some famous last words right there…) It’s my first Easter in Lubbock and I’ll be involved in doing special Easter celebrations for all 4 Sunday Morning services in all of our kid’s areas. I have over 100 volunteers helping out in many different areas for our Children Ministry this Easter. I have programming, services, and many other activities happening in 3 different buildings. But really, that might have been the easiest part.

The hard part is remembering that it’s Easter. My prayer for Easter is that I don’t get lost in the frustrating part of what I do. I spent some major time in prayer this morning, just asking God to help me be a good reflection of what Easter means to the families at my church. If I’m celebrating that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, then I’d really like to have that show on my countenance throughout the morning. I’m also praying that the conviction to be excellent will reign down on all of my volunteers. I really want to make Jesus as easy to find on Easter as humanely possible. I’m praying that most of my planning will help us all avoid being thrown off our God-given purpose by distractions and disruptions that inevitably come with gathering hundreds of kids together in one place. I really believe that this weekend could be the beginning of the rest of someones life with Jesus.

If you have a Bible, will you shake it at the screen and maybe shake your hankie in my general direction?

“Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3

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Now playing: Relient K – In Like A Lion (Always Winter)
via FoxyTunes

Heartline Women’s Clinic

March 7, 2008 in Links, Ministry with 0 Comments

The Heartline Women’s Clinic is a pregnancy resource center in Lubbock that is operated by our church. Last night I attended the 15th anniversary celebration banquet and fund raiser. Let me state the obvious, and say that I am a pro-life advocate (however I have never protested outside an abortion clinic.) Last night at the dinner I listened to special guests, and father and daughter, Candy Gibbs and Jerry Little. They shared an absolutely devastating story of abortion that happened to them over 15 years ago. More specifically the story of Jerry, a youth minister, taking his then 16-year old girl to an abortion clinic in Lubbock to terminate her unplanned pregnancy. It’s a sad story of how they have dealt with the effects of this decision on their lives, and how God healed their hearts and have given them a platform to encourage others to reach out to those around them affected by an act of abortion.

One of the things I really love about our church is that they spend the time, energy, and money supporting causes like this in our community. Heartline Women’s clinic is a licensed medical facility, with Dr.’s and RN’s on staff; providing medical care to mothers during this difficult time in their lives. I also admire that Heartline care doesn’t just end after the birth of the kids, but they continue to invest in the mothers-to-be with parent training. They also provide support for women who are dealing with the emotional effects of having aborted their babies. I feel like these things go so far beyond protesting outside an abortion clinic, and really are making an effort to minister to the women in our city in a very real way.

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