Nearly 13 Hours!

12/21/14

Well today has been a pretty long day.  It started off with service and education hour like every Sunday.  I went around to the different Sunday school rooms and checked with them about how the final preparations were going for the program.  Then after that we set up the sanctuary for the program and had some quick lunch.  Then we had the program which went off amazingly.  It is amazing what God can do and shows us that on a regular basis.  We were so worried about certain aspects but they all turned out great.

After the program I went home and changed and came right back.  At that point we had Christmas drama practice.  I worked with the Word players while Michael worked with the drama part itself.  We are making some good process.  After practice we headed downstairs or pizza and then into Ignite.  I lead Ignite and we talked about fear.  I thought it was pretty good and they seemed to be engaged.  They were very eager to read Bible passages.  I tried my new game but it needs some tweaks.  As one student said, it's in the beta testing mode.  After that I finally headed home and got some much needed rest.

Today I learned what a full 12 hour, almost 13, day feels like.  We had services, children's program, drama practice, and finally Ignite to top it all off.  It was a full day and I am completely exhausted.  

The final Hobbit

12/20/14

Today I had Christmas program practice in the morning.  This was our final practice and our first official rundown straight through.  It went pretty well and we were able to get through the whole thing and work on little items here and there.  The kids got a bit tired and restless towards the end but they made it through and now we just have a couple things to figure out before we get to the program tomorrow.  I am excited to see how it turns out tomorrow.  Later in the afternoon Adam and I went and saw the third and final Hobbit movie.  It was very good.  It closed the trilogy off nicely and even got me to get involved in.

Today I learned a lot about setting up microphones and sound mixers.  I'll be running the sound board for the Christmas program which is a new experience for me.  I'm glad I learned a little bit of it while I'm here on internship.

Adam's Visit

12/19/14

Today I worked on the angel wings for the Christmas program practice and then the actual event this Sunday.  I picked up what I needed and began work on them during the day.  Around 6:00 Adam showed up for his visit.  We started watching the two Hobbit movies in preparation for seeing the third one tomorrow.  It was fun to have him over and get to hang out again.  It's been a long time and missed our days of being roommates while at CSP.  We were up pretty late watching those and it also gave me the time to finish up the wings.

Today I learned that I can be pretty crafty and resourceful when I need to be.  I went to the dollar store looking for stuff to make angel wings with no plan in mind basically.  I came out with some good stuff and was able to make the wings in time for the practice tomorrow.

HuHut

12/18/14

Today the big thing was cluster meeting.  We meet at HuHut this time.  This is the first time I've been to the place.  It is a stir fry restaurant.  You pick out your meat, noodles, vegetables, and sauces.  Then they take it ad cook it on a large grill.  It is very good and there are so many different choices and combinations for sauces.  I had two different plates and tried different things with each.  It is very good and someplace I would like to visit again sometime.

Today I learned that some of the questions and fears I have just coming out of school are shared by DCEs in the field.  It's nice to talk through those with them and hear what they have tried in the past.  

Caroling

12/17/14

Today's big event was caroling during the confirmation hour.  Each year the confirmation classes, as well as other congregation members, go out around the neighborhood, and to our shut ins, and carol to them.  I've never actually been caroling before so this was a new experience for me.  I lead one of the groups that went around the neighborhood.  It was an absolute blast and just an overall fun time.  We caroled to several empty houses pretty sure but we had a couple families come out and listen to us.  One family even clapped and we had a nice conversation.

Today I learned that caroling can be really fun.  We caroled for confirmation, like I mentioned before.  It was a great and blessed time with the youth.  I even sang a bit louder a couple times to get them on the right tune for the song.

Taking Care of Business

11/16/18

Today was a pretty average work day.  Nothing really big happened as far as events.  However I did start working on my placement stuff so that was something.  It is weird to be on internship and already thinking ahead towards placement after I finish and graduate.  It is an exciting time as well as a nervous time.  I'll be putting my name out there to be called to DCE work anywhere in the country.  Other than that I was able to get quite a bit accomplished today at work, including some great work on Christmas program stuff.  At home I finally sat down and started painting the Warhammer 40k miniatures.  One thing I've learned so far is that I will have some better tactics for completing them the next time I do this.  Although for my first time at trying this not the worst job in the world.

Today I learned that this placement stuff isn't that difficult to complete.  It is just a bit time consuming.  I mainly have to look up details and dates/times.  Also the fact that I can't save the document makes it a bit frustrating.

Monday Productivity

12/15/14

Today was your average Monday.  I was able to get quite a bit done which is great.  Normally my Mondays area  bit slower but this one actually went pretty quickly with me completing a lot of my items on my to-do list.  At lunch Michael and I went out to John Hardy's with Connor and Brittany.  It was fun to see her again after UKANDU.  We had a good time of dicussion and laughter.  It was definitely more fun of a lunch than sitting in my apartment.  It helped to liven up my day a bit.

Today I learned that that doing a lot of little things towards larger projects really makes a difference over time.  After a while you look back and see all you've accomplished and it is quite rewarding and not nearly as daunting as when you first look at it.

Word Players

12/14/14

Sunday morning went like it normally does.  I went around to the different Sunday school classes and checked in with them about the Christmas program.  Things are going pretty well and I can't wait to see how the finished product looks on the performance day.  I also visited the other classrooms just to say hi and see how things were going.  Later that night we had practice for the Christmas youth drama.  Michael put together the word players with the youth who had signed up a bit later.  I'll be directing them and we get to do our scenes in between the other ones.  We get to act out passages from Scripture that reflect what is going on in the other scene to make the point even more.  I am excited to see how everything looks together.

Today I learned that it doesn't have to be me always coming up with the ideas.  The youth I'm working with on the drama have some awesome ideas and I'm excited to see what else they come up with as we move on.

Christmas, PYROS, Alfredo, OH MY!

12/13/14

Today was a pretty fun day as well.  I started off the morning with my first Sunday school Christmas practice.  We did a bit of set up on the Chancel for what it would look like.  Then we had each class that had made posters practice with some sheets we had made up.  It worked pretty good and it is a great start to get them at a point where it will go pretty smoothly.  Then later that afternoon we had our PYROS event.  We rang bells at both entrances to the south Shopko for one hour.  It was an awesome time filled with laughing, shouting merry Christmas, and just a nice time had by all.  We ended it with praying over the kettles for the families that would receive the benefits of that money.  I came home to an amazing meal cooked by my beautiful Fiance.  It was chicken Alfredo with homemade garlic bread and some baked apples for dessert.  It was absolute delicious!

Today I learned that we are slowing making progress in growing PYROS.  We had a good size group for bell ringing at Shopko.  A few more would have showed up but there were out of town this weekend.  

Day Off

12/12/14

Well today was just my day off.  I did some shopping as well as cleaning and getting stuff done around my apartment.  It was a pretty good day off and made only better but Amy announcing she would be visiting me this weekend.  It has been a pretty awesome weekend with a great end and start to the next week coming up.

Today I learned about Cartwheel.  It is an app that has coupons, You can put the coupons in your cart on the app and then the clerk scans the bar code on your phone to input the coupons.  It automatically adds them to your bill and you can save tons of money.

Brown Bag

12/11/14

Today the big event was heading off the the DCE brown bag event at the District office.  There we had a guest speaker, President Dean Nadasdy talked to us about the future of the DCE position within the LC-MS.  It was a very interesting discussion and in some cases you feel a bit down about things.  However knowing that we have a district president who values DCEs and is willing to work with us to help us show all that we do in ministry is quite a hopeful message.  I was glad to be a part of this meeting and see all that is happening, both the good as well as the bad.  I pray that as things move along I can help be a part of DCEs continuing to be valuable parts of ministry teams.

Today I learned a bit more about the struggles DCEs are facing on a Synod level.  Dr. Nadasdy is such a blessing to have as our District President right now  He is a wonderful support to show that DCEs are valuable church workers.  

Newsboys!

12/10/14

Today our big event was the Newsboys concert.  It was something we had been looking forward to for a while now.  We went to the early Advent service and then off to the Advent dinner.  After that we meet up as our group and headed out towards the Mayo Civic Center.  We weren't able to see entirely as a group but we were in large chunks together.  The anticipation built as we waited for the event to start and different things played on their screens.  Finally Moriah Peters came up to start everything.  She sang us some songs and got us going for the beginning part.  I have to say that hearing her music live really got me interested in some of her songs.

After that Nick Hall, the MC, came out.  He introduced Moriah a bit more and then did some talking about the reason of Christmas and why we celebrate each year.  It was a good set up for the night.  Then a bit later on the Newsboys came out for their first set.  They played some secular Christmas songs and then Michael Tate talked with Nick Hall a bit.  We had some more stuff by Nick Hall including a cool presentation about Compassion International.  Then the concert ended with the Newsboys second play set of a lot of their normal songs.  The whole thing ended on a great moment singing Silent Night.  It was a pretty awesome event to be a part of.

Today I learned that there are many little things to help an event run smoothly.  The concert was a great time and success but I did learn some detail stuff that could improve similar events that I run in the future.  

10 Hour Day

12/9/14

Well today was a pretty long day.  It's the second Tuesday of the month which means we have Youth Board as well as Council.  Council has been going late each time because there is a lot to discuss and prepare for in this new year and with the voter's meeting coming up.  In youth board we are going through a purpose exercise which seems to be going really well so far.  We are evaluating what we are all about and what it looks like to be doing everything "right".  It's a good experience for me to be a part of and able to observe on internship.  Then in Council we had a lot of discussion about vision and different areas that Redeemer is looking at.  Until things are decided I can't really say anything about it but there are a lot of exciting things happening at Redeemer.

Today I learned people can really surprise you sometimes.  The thoughts brought out at Council were a pretty big shocker to the staff with the direction they were leaning towards.  It will be very interesting to see where it goes.

Productive Monday

12/8/14

Today was your average Monday.  Pretty slow day for me, as in not much was going on.  I was able to get quite a bit accomplished and even move ahead in the future on some things.  It felt good to really see a lot of things get checked of my to-do list.  Other than that not much to say about it.  Unlike previous Mondays I was pretty productive and it didn't feel like it was dragging at all.

Today I learned that when you take a week a day at a time it doesn't seem so busy.  Of course that's not actually on those busy days but it helps me to think about each event and what needs to happen as we are leading up to it.

Busy Sunday

12/7/14

Today was a pretty busy Sunday for me.  Luckily my time in the morning was pretty tame just a lot going on.  I didn't have Children's message or any other part during the service but during the education hour I made my way to all the upper Sunday school classes.  I was able to talk to them about some upcoming events as well as just get my face into their classes and talk to them a bit about how things were going.  It was pretty fun and glad I could do it.  Then later that day I came back for the youth drama Christmas eve practice.  We got our scripts for the drama it's very good.  Then after that we moved into Ignite and I did my giving in a receiving world lesson.  I felt okay about it.  There are a few more things I wished I would have said but I got my main point across fairly well.

Today I learned that the youth drama for Christmas eve is really cool.  I'm excited to be a part of it ad can't wait to see what God will do through it to reach people with the message.

The Road to Rochester

12/6/14

In the morning my aunt Kim came over.  They went out shopping for Christmas gifts.  Amy and I were able to attend our pre-marital meeting because they had moved the funeral to Monday.  We spoke with Amy C, the wedding coordinator, for about an hour and a half.  We went through all the costs, and other things we needed to look at for having our wedding at Trinity.  It was exciting to see things really start to unfold and begin to come together.  Then in the afternoon Amy started to not feel so good, a possible strep case, so we just hung out until I had to head back for the RSE meeting in the evening.  It was a pretty good weekend to be home and have a great time.

Today I learned that our wedding is going to be awesome.  I kind of knew that a bit and I bet every couple says that, but ours is indeed going to be awesome.  I know that is an aww barf moment, but I don't care.  :)

Careers!

12/5/14

Today we had an overall lazy day with Amy and the family.  It was fun to just lounge around and be with one another.  We had some great conversation.  Amy and I had our epic Magic duel for who would cook for our romantic dinner.  Like a champ I totally beat her.  So she now has to cook chicken alfredo for us sometime when we can sit down for a dinner.  Then during the day my family finally concevned Amy to play a game with us and we played Careers.  I remember playing that game a lot growing up and it is a great game!  I also once that game which was fun as well.  :)

Today I learned that it can be fun to just be with family.  Sometimes it doesn't require any words or activities.  For a couple hours we simply hung out together doing our own things.

Oh Little Town of Hudson

12/4/14

Today the big thing was that I headed up to Hudson after work.  I am on my way up there to tentatively attend Amy's Uncle's funeral on Saturday.  He passed away suddenly on Wednesday of this week.  Also we have a meeting for pre-marital stuff to be started on Saturday.  However if the funeral is on Saturday we will have to reschedule.  We'll see what time brings us.  The drive was just fine to Hudson.  Then there I was able to have some great time with family and Amy.  It has been nice to see them these last two weekends now.  Although my gas tank would disagree with you :P

Today I learned that I've been able to go back to Hudson quite a bit so far in internship.  It's been nice to spend all that tie with my family and Amy.

1st Advent of Internship

11/3/14

Today was like the title suggest my first day of Advent on internship.  What a busy day it has been.  First we had our first Advent service at 4:15.  What is awesome about Redeemer is that they do Holden evening worship for their Advent services.  I gave my children's message for the first time.  I was fumbling for words a bit because I was trying to connect it more to the sermon.  Then we headed downstairs for the Advent meal and I got my group together and we started our PYROS meeting.  We were lighter this time but had some great new faces there.  We were able to plan all the way until the end of the education year which some pretty exciting events.  I can't wait to see what God does with those ideas.

Then after that I headed to the room next door and taught confirmation for the first and second year students for the first time.  Now I have officially taught all the different levels of confirmation here at Redeemer.  It was a fun class time and I felt as though they really got the material.  After that I had our second Advent service where I gave my children's message for the second time.  It went much better this time.  I also had a good chunk of confirmation students come up to the message which is always fun to see.  Overall it was a pretty great start to Advent and a wonderful night for me.

Today I learned a little bit of what a rushed day feels like.  It was my fault entirely but it is a good learning experience.  God was obviously working through me because it felt like an awesome night and I can't honestly remember some of the things I said for my children's message and confirmation lesson.

Day Before

12/2/14

Today was a very successful and productive day.  In the morning I was able to get quite a few smaller tasks done in some good time.  I am continuing to be more and more effective with my time.  I am getting into a good routine of praying for my neighbors using the website Pastor Koglin had showed me.  Also getting my journal and blog done in a timely matter.  It helps me reflect on my day and move forward.  In the afternoon I was able to get my children's message and agenda for PYROS complete.  I am still working on my confirmation lesson but I will be able to finish that tomorrow.  In the afternoon I did my first hospital visit with Michael.  It was a new experience for me and I had a good time and pray we blessed who we visited.

Today I learned that sometimes I just need time to stare at a document to get my brain working.  I knew what I wanted to say but not exactly how I wanted to say it.  After a while I was able to get it done and written.  

Monday, Monday, Monday

12/1/14

Well it is officially December, but winter has been here for awhile now.  It was your average day in the office.  I worked on stuff until around noon and then headed home for lunch.  Then came back and worked till 5.  It was nice to be back working at Redeemer after the long weekend.  I realized I had missed it a bit which is probably a good sign for my future in ministry.  Headed home and just relaxed in the semi-warmness of my apartment.  A sweatshirt and warm socks make it pretty much perfect.

Today I learned that Advent does really get to be a busy time.  We've barely started and seeing what is already on my plate is crazy.  I know this is nothing compared to other DCEs or even Michael's normal, or schedule with me here, but it is new for me.

Walking Around

11/30/14

On this last day of November we had our first Sunday in Advent.  The blue colors are up and the Christmas season has officially started.  I gave my children's message twice today and felt very good about it.  Even though I forgot my original prop I had another one I could use right in my apartment.  I talked about heirlooms because that is what Pastor Koglin was starting his sermon off with this morning.  It worked well for the theme of the service as well as the theme of the month.  During the education hour I walked around to the different classrooms and asked where there were and if they had any questions about the Christmas program.  Things are going great with it which is nice for Michael and I.

Later that day we had the first meeting for the senior high youth Christmas program.  We had a pretty good turn out.  We were able to go through the candles and get those ready for the service.  Other than that we had a time of fellowship and talking a bit about what had been done in the past for this service.  I am excited to be a part of this and see how it goes here at Redeemer.  Michael has told me that this is one of, if not the, his favorite services.  

Today I learned that I'm getting names and places down in my head for a Sunday morning.  Going around to the different rooms was pretty close to second nature and I just knew where to go which is a great feeling.

Heading Back

11/29/14

Today was my last day in Hudson for the Thanksgiving time.  We played another game of Catan, which I totally won no matter what my mom says.  Then we also played some Wii Golf, and even though I had to go before I finished the game, they played for me and I won!  Hehe.  It was a good final day and the drive back was just fine.  I put some things away and got ready for service that night.  I gave my children's message and headed home afterwards getting some good ways to improve it for Sunday.  It had been a really great Thanksgiving break.

Today I learned that for some reason my tires are not a normal stock item.  We made an appointment with Fleet Farm again and they called us a couple hours later saying they don't have those tires in stock, again.

Lazy Day in Hudson

11/28/14

Well this Friday was a nice lazy day at home.  My family, Amy, and I basically just hung out with each other.  Amy and I were doing laundry during the day while we also played a game of Catan.  We also went out to eat at Mongolian Barbecue.  It was very tasty, and even though we had to wait in line a while for the stir fry it was well worth it.  Then we came home and basically just slugged around a bit.  I spent all the time I could with Amy before she headed out that night to home so she could be with her family during part of Thanksgiving.

Today I learned that I needed today as a lazy day.  It was good to be with family and Amy and just not have to worry about anything really.

Thanksgiving!

11/27/14

I started off the morning by going to Thanksgiving service, and turning up my mic!  I was much louder and sounded better the second time.  I left after the children's message and headed out to Hudson.  Once there we packed up and were on our way to my aunt and uncles for the holiday.  Amy would get to meet them all for the first time.  There we did some introductions and had our usual prayer time before the meal.  This time instead of saying what we were thankful for we talked about where we might have been if Christ had not entered our lives, therefore saying how very thankful we were for Christ working in us.  Then we dug into the delicious meal.  There was good conversation and a good time had by all.

After the meal we played some games.  The first was loaded questions which was a good time.  We got intrupted by my cousin coming home saying he had gotten a buck.  We all went to see it and it was a pretty nice deer.  He gave us the whole story and then we sat down for another game.  This time we played catch phrase.  And even though I was on the losing team three times it was a really fun night.  Amy bonded with my cousins and they had an absolute blast with her.  We headed home and just hung for the rest of the night after a great Thanksgiving!

Today I learned that Amy fits in well with my family.  We had a great time at my aunt and uncles.  She got to meet them, and some of their kids, for the first time and it was fun.

Thanksgiving Eve

11/26/14

Today the big event was the Thanksgiving eve service.  I had children's message that night and we went through what we are thankful for during this time and then what is the most important thing to be thankful for, Christ.  I had forgotten to turn up my mic so it was very quiet and I tried to speak a bit louder, but I know I wasn't near loud enough for most people to hear me.  Pastor Jim talked about being content in Christ because of what we have from Him.  It was a very good sermon, especially for Thanksgiving.  The coolest thing during the service was done before the children's message.  People brought food to the service and the children were invited to bring it up to the altar as they came down for the children's message.  It was a really cool moment and just precious.

Today I learned that I need to remember to check the volume on my mic whenever I am using it.  I got up for the children's message and realized I hadn't change it.  Like I said before I was very quiet.

Gearing Up

11/25/14

Today is one of my big days to get ready for the Thanksgiving weekend and the entrance into December and the Advent season.  I have a lot of things coming up and coming up fast.  It has been nice to have these last couple easier weeks to get a bit of a head start on what is coming and prepare for it rather than getting swamped during it.  It's been nice to be planning for children's messages again.  I haven't done one in a while but I have three coming up right after another which gives me a feel for what Michael has been doing for years here at Redeemer.  Also I was able to get my dishes done finally.  Having the ability to watch my series helps out a lot and makes the time go by fast.  I realized that all the things I hate about doing the dishes only get worse, or only exist, when I let them go for a long time.

Today I learned that I have a lot of planning to do with my next idea for a mystery dinner.  There is a lot to do to make it simple enough to understand but also engaging for the youth that attend.

Your Average Day

Well nothing big or huge to report today.  Today was a pretty normal day at the office and at home.  I was able to get some good work done today.  Although I was a bit distracted.  Not sure why but it is what it is.  Maybe it was just because it is a Monday leading into the Holiday week.  Who knows.  At home I was able to do some gaming as well as get some time to talk with Amy which is always nice.  Just your average pretty good day here in Rochester.  :)

Today I learned that I get a lot of emails in one day.  I get a lot from Redeemer people but also just a lot from things I've been a part of in the past.  I also get a lot of spam which is just plain annoying sometimes.

Lost Puppy

11/23/14

Today during the education hour I followed Michael around as he explained the Christmas program to all the Sunday school classes.  I was there to make sure I understood exactly what he was looking for as well as the ability to go around later and answer questions if need be when Michael cannot.  It was good to hear it several times to get it solidified in my head so I can explain it later and hopefully relieve some stress of both the teachers and Michael.  I commented at one point that I felt and looked like a lost puppy following him and we both had a good laugh.  Then near the time of me leaving for home Lori commented that I looked like a lost puppy following Michael around.  We all had a good laugh.  For the rest of the day I did some light cleaning as well as gaming here and there.

Today I learned that I miss teaching the senior high.  It was nice to do something different this week but it felt weird and odd not to be in the youth room during the education hour.

Amy Visits

11/23/14

Today's big thing was Amy visiting.  Even though we would see each other on Thanksgiving it was nice to have just us time.  We went out to see Mockingjay Part 1 and we were both very pleasantly surprised.  We were not expecting them to keep to the books or do a very good job but it actually turned out to be quite a good movie.  Then we headed back and hung out for a bit at the apartment.  Then upon Amy's demand we went to Target and picked up the second Hobbit because Amy had not seen it yet.  We also looked around for Christmas gifts and picked up our supper for the night.  We then headed back and spent the rest of the evening watching the second Hobbit and then she headed back to Hudson.

Today I learned how glad I am that Amy loves to just sit and watch movies as much as me.  It's so nice to just hang out and watch movies together or going out to see one at the theater.  

Driving Around Town

11/21/14

Today on my day off I went around town and did some much needed shopping.  My main goal was to get some new shoes for the upcoming winter as well as just because I needed new shoes.  I headed to Target first thinking they would have the best selection.  They did not have a very extensive selection for guy's shoes but I was able tog get a pair for myself.  I also picked up some food and other necessities.  Then I decided to take an adventure to the Hobby Goblin place here in Rochester.  First off I actually got there a bit early.  They open up at noon on weekdays.  Then inside it felt a lot like the Source in Roseville but much smaller.  I did pick up a Commander deck but I think I've decided I like the game store I found in Byron.  Then I headed home and spent the majority of the day just hanging out and doing some different gaming.

Today I learned that I'm getting very good at knowing where places are in Rochester.  I only had to use my GPS to get to a new place but I was able to find my way back to my apartment with no problem at all.

Cluster!

11/20/14

Today's big event was our cluster meeting.  We headed over to Pizza Ranch with Mark for the cluster meeting.  It was the same people as I had met last time.  We talked about quite a few subjects.  I've found this meetings to be very helpful as an up and coming DCE.  It is great to get insight and different ideas from many DCEs in looking at how I want to incorporate different ideas into how I will be doing ministry when I get to my first call.  Plus we eat at a wonderful place.  From the different trips I have had to places I've seen Pizza Ranches and always thought they were just another Pizza Hut kind of place.  Actually going into one for the first time a couple months ago here on internship I've discovered it is a great place that has delicious food.  :)

Today I learned that even DCEs that have been in the field for awhile still get nervous and have questions about different situations.  That is comforting to know as I enter ministry.  I don't have to to have all the answers going in or even a ways down the road.  

Confirmation Night

11/19/14

Today I was much more productive than the day before.  I didn't complete many pieces of work but I was able to make some great headway on a lot of larger projects I have going on right now.  It was a pretty great work day.  I was able to get some great work done on my next mystery dinner idea and I am very excited to see how it goes and where it can lead for some great faith talks.  Another thing for today was getting down to Associated Bank and picking up some quarters so I could get my laundry done.  After work I ate some quick supper and headed back for confirmation.  Tonight we talked about creation vs evolution and there was some great conversation.  After that I began the long task of my laundry, and only one washer was working.  I was up till about 2:15 doing it, but I got it all done and I can sleep in on Friday which is nice.  

Today I learned that you meet all sorts of people when you are out and about.  At the bank I met a very friendly older gentleman who talked briefly with with me but it was a fun conversation.

Day at the Office

11/18/14

Today was just an ordinary day at the office.  I spent my normal time here.  Although it felt longer because I just didn't have much focus or concentration.  Not sure why, probably just one of those days now and then.  I was able to get quite a bit done but probably could have been a bit more productive but I did have time to make progress in both my books which is nice.  I am hoping to get back into the practice of reading some more now that I have a bit less going on right after another.


Today I learned that my slower days drag on and it is hard form me to focus and concentrate for the whole day.  I'm able to work ahead just have to work a bit harder to keep myself going and motivated.

Channel 1 Food Bank

11/17/14

Today was a typical day at the office.  Michael and I were able to meet and catch from the last week.  I really enjoy those times because it gives me chance to go over my week and get some thoughts from Michael on direction for the upcoming week and just talk through some things that are going on.  My big thing for today was the PYROS event.  We were volunteering at the Channel 1 Food Bank.  We got three youth from Redeemer and then some other adults from Redeemer that are not usually with the youth.  It was a great time and we packaged some weird things, but it is whatever is donated to them.  I had fun and hopefully I will be able to do it again sometime while here.

Today I learned that there are a lot of really awesome people at Redeemer I haven't been able to meet yet.  Getting to know some more people at the Channel 1 Food Bank was a pretty great time.

Heaven, Hell, and What's Beyond

11/16/14

Today I taught my last Sunday school lesson for awhile.  Michael will be teaching for a bit to give me a chance to see what else happens on a Sunday morning during the education hour.  I will need to come up with a plan for what I will be doing otherwise I will just wonder and not really experience anything.  I am excited to see some adult classes to both learn and get some ideas for how I want to teach my adult lesson coming up.  Tonight I also had Ignite.  We were talking about Heaven, Hell, and death tonight.  Instead of a lesson where everyone listens to Michael or does some sort of activity he had them get into groups and dig into the Bible.  Each group had a topic and verses to look up about their topic.  My group had Heaven and they really got into looking up the verses and figuring out what they meant and were talking about.  It was a really great idea and really got them engaged, especially knowing that they would have to report back and teach their fellow peers.

Today I learned that while there are a lot of questions about what comes after we die and all around death, the Bible gives us some great answers that the youth identify with.  It was great and a real inspiration to see them dig into the Bible for answers.

Faith Story Retreat

11/15/14

Today my big event for the day was the faith story retreat.  It is an event put on by the family ministry team here at Redeemer.  I was very fortunate and was able to simply participate in this one. I have to say this was a truly amazing event.  It is basically a guided time to take a look at your life and see how God has blessed you and how your faith has been formed.  It is especially trying to point out that our faith is primarily formed outside of church events.  Those play a huge part in our faith stories but God is not bound to just work through those.  That is a very cool eye opening experience to see people go through.  I had a great time and need to covenant with myself in order to keep writing and working on this project.  I know the initial excitement will die down but thankfully I like to write so I think that'll help me keep up on this.

Today I learned that although I am younger I still have quite a faith story to tell.  I guess I in a way I knew that but seeing it on paper and in front of me is a very cool and tangible thing to show me exactly how far I have come.

In Hudson

11/14/14

I started the morning pretty early with my dad's retirement party at the government center.  Since he worked the overnight shift they had his party early in the morning.  There were two cakes as well as a breakfast catered by the cooks there.  It was a great time.  A good number of people came to visit.  After that I headed out shopping with my mom and then came home.  After awhile we went out to the cities to pick up my cousin Sarah.  We brought her back to Hudson because she would be staying with my parents for the weekend.  Then we headed out to Pier 500 for lunch and had some great food and great conversation.  After that we took Amy to work and just hung out at the house in the afternoon.  I picked up Amy and we had supper and then I headed back to Rochester.  It was a pretty awesome day with my family and had a wonderful time.

Today I learned that my dad was very appreciated at his work  He was been one of the only ones to get a retirement party from his department.  Even though today was a day where a lot of people were out a lot of people came and visited him to say goodbye and good luck.

First Winkle and Home

11/13/14

I attended my first winkle meeting today.  It is a meeting of all the circuit Pastors, DCEs are also invited.  It was nice to put some faces to names that I had heard around Redeemer as well as Concorida sometimes as well.  We had a great deal to discuss and it is amazing all that this circuit is a part of and doing within the area.  After that we headed back and I got some lunch as well has having my WiFi modem shipped to me.  I set up what I could before I headed back to Redeemer.  I needed my computer for the rest so I would do that before I left for Hudson tonight.  So I headed back to Redeemer and did some work to get me ready for the weekend.  Then I headed back and I was able to set up my Wi-Fi at my apartment.  With that I headed to Hudson and was able to make it in time for dinner and having quite a bit of time with my family and Amy.  It was a pretty awesome day.

Today I learned that there is a lot of awesome ministry happening in our circuit.  We are supporting many ministries and working together quite a bit.  It is really inspiring to see that happening as future church worker.

Car Back!

11/12/14

The big new of the day was my car.  I was able to get in contact with Frahms, along with my dad, and get my car all figured out.  I drove it back to the office and it worked great and it is wonderful and a blessing to have it back.  I thank God for the blessing of good and reliable mechanics he put in Rochester.  I was able to drive myself to confirmation that night.  I visited both classes so I could talk about the PYROS event coming up as well as the Newsboys concert we would be attending in December.  I got some new names as well as confirmation of people who had expressed interest earlier.  I then was a guide for the 1st and 2nd year confirmation class.  They were finishing up the 10 commandments and talking about greed, coveting, and stealing.  It was a very good discussion.

Today I learned that when I'm worrying about something my work is affected quite a bit.  I was thinking about my car a lot today and it really distracted me from getting as much work done as I could have.

First Snow

11/11/14

The big thing today was the first snow fall in Rochester.  It was pretty slushy and gross outside.  I went to start my car to warm it up while I scraped the snow and ice off and it wouldn't start.  It would sound like it would turn over than just wouldn't.  I thought "really today?".  I called Michael and he was able to try to jump my car but that didn't work.  He brought me in for the morning.  Than at lunch he came to get me and we tried a different way of trying to see if it was the battery or what.  We tried a jump with the cables directly connected to the wires and got the same result.

I then called AAA and they were sending out a tow truck.  The driver got there and he tried out some stuff on the car.  He said it was just that the engine was flooded.  He eventually got it to start and said I should drive it out to the auto place and try to start it out there so in case it was something else I would already be somewhere that could do something.  On the way out there the car died several times but I was able to get it started and eventually out to Frahms.  There I was going to have them look at it in case it was something else.

I was able to get some answers with the car and they will be working on a couple things to get it running again.  The rest of my night was with youth board as well as Council.  They were both good meetings with quite a bit of stuff happening at Redeemer.

Today I learned that although there can be difficult and frustrating times you can find God's blessings in little and big ways all over.  With my car a blessing was I got to Frahms, the guys there are great and friendly, and I will have a fixed car afterward.

Coming Back

11/10/14

Well it has been quite awhile since I have blogged.  I know that because Amy and my mom keep bugging me about.  They are right too and it has helped me to get on it.   I could make up a hundred excuses about why I haven't written.  If I'm being honest with myself it is because I just haven't made it a priority and the longer I let it pile up the less I have the desire to do it.  So I'm just going to start from today and move on from today.  The big thing that has happened was last weekend.  I lead a mystery dinner lock-in at Redeemer.  I put in the work for characters and getting the events and plot and activities all set up.  I would say overall it was a very good time.  The youth seemed to be getting into it and really having a fun time with it.  I hope they had a good time.

Today was a big catch up day.  I caught up on my journal and started back on the blog here as well.  It actually feels good to be writing about my time again.  I need to find some accountability for doing this blogs.  Any good ideas on that note please comment or talk to me about it.  My day was pretty average.  I was able to get some good work done even though it was a Monday, and a Monday after a lock-in.  I finished my second book for Internship and posted my book blog for that.  Also as of the 13th of this week I will have Wi-Fi at my apartment.  Now I just need to get my CD drive from Adam and I will be all good to go.

Today I learned that the Monday after a lock-in feels kind of blah.  I got quite a bit accomplished but it was difficult to stay focused all day long and keep working.

Engagement Photos

10/19/14

Today I had, what I thought, was my best Sunday school lesson so far.  It felt as though the youth connected with it and really understand the idea.  I had a pretty cool activity that Amy helped me come up with.  After church Amy, Lori, and I went off and took engagement photos so we could get our save the dates out pretty soon.  We took some pretty good photos and I can't wait to see all them once Lori gets them on a disc for us.  It was great that she was willing to help us out and we are both so thankful for that.  After that I had instruments of praise later that day.  This was my second practice and we would be playing at the 10:40 service on Oct 26th.  Lastly we had Ignite that night.  Michael talked about Daniel and the story of the writing on the wall.  It went very well and they seemed to be engaged and listening and taking stuff home with them.

Today I learned that there are some really pretty parks all around Rochester.  Lori took our photos and brought us to Silver Lake park for our outside ones.  It is really beautiful there and great for taking pictures of all different kinds.  

Fun Day with Amy

10/18/14

Today was a day for Amy and I to hang out.  We mainly just bummed around my apartment which was a good time.  We cooked lunch for ourselves and watched some Netflix as well.  We started Supernatural, well I started she had already started watching it.  Also we did some work on wedding stuff.  She showed me all the good stuff she was able to get from the wedding fair that she had attended.  Also we started officially our guest list so that we could pass it off to the moms and get that going.  It is quite extensive which is surprising to me.  That night I attended the first RSE meeting for 2015.  It is exciting to now see the beginning of this awesome event.  We decided upon a theme verse for the next year which is going to be really exciting.

Today I learned that there are so many good themes to go with for RSE.  We were able to narrow it down but it was tough.  We had a lot of good Scripture, it is all good, to use.  I'm excited to see how it develops in the coming months.

Gamin :)

10/17/14

The big event of today was Amy, JJ, T, and Fatty coming out.  Amy would be here for the weekend but the others were over for gaming.  Tonight we played JJ's game as a way to shake things up a bit.  Plus he has been itching to do some story telling.  It was fun to be on the other side for a bit.  I hadn't been able to play in a rpg recently.  It was quite a nice switch and had some fun messing with him and of course with the other characters.  That is something we specilize in when we play rpgs.  We like to make character drama and play on it to see where it get us.

Today I learned that I've missed being a playing in our rpgs.  We played JJ's campaign tonight and it was fun to be on the other side of things  It was also great to be able to game again.  I am so glad they are willing to make the drive down to me.

LEA!

10/16/14

Today was LEA.  It was my first time there and I had a blast while learning tons of new information.  Michael, April, and I drove down there early that morning.  I got to see another beautiful sunrise here in Rochester which was cool.  We got there and I saw some familiar faces, both from CSP, as well as people I have gotten to know through my different experiences on internship thus far.  The keynote speaker was Alan November.  He talked about using Google and how things like this are ways for our students to begin to teach themselves and help us to learn together.

After that I went to my first session.  My first one was on creative writing and it was lead by none other than Dr. Burkhart.  It had been a awhile since I had seen him and even longer since I had been in one of his classes.  It was very interesting.  I got some great books to add to my list as well as some ideas as to how to use creative writing for students.  Most of it was directed towards teachers however I was able to bring away some stuff that I could use in my area of work as well.

My second session was with Andrew Boll.  It was about developing Christian character through fantasy fiction.  This is actually something Michael and I have been talking about extensively.  Mainly for me to get a footing as to how I should approach it as I move into my church worker career.  This session was extremely helpful and he walked us through the idea of the hero's journey and how it looked like Jesus' journey and also taught very good Christian characteristics.  I also purchased all three of his books and look forward to reading them.

My final session was with Joel and it was about making meaningful devotions and worship experiences.  I met Joel at Kindle and it was neat to see him again and actually get a chance to learn from his time as a DCE.  He gave us some good ways in which to develop this sorts of things.  I liked the example he showed us that he uses at his congregation.  Overall this was a great experience and I learned quite a bit to take with me back to Redeemer as well as onto my future call(s).

Today I learned that LEW is really awesome.  I saw a good number of people I knew.  It was nice to connect and reconnect.  Also my classes were really instructive and able to glean quit a bit from them.

Mayo Experience

10/15/14

Well the big news of today is I visited Mayo for the first time.  It was for an appointment.  I've had an ingrown toenail for the past month and a half.  I kept hoping it would simply fix itself so I wouldn't have to go in.  However that was not the case.  So to start things off I parked in the wrong building.  But I was able to walk over to the correct one and I had arrived early which helped.  I got there and was called in.  It was not the doctor they had set as my primary care but he was a really cool guy.  It took a look at it and told me the options.  He said he would talk to some others there to see what they thought.

They said the best option would be to have a procedure that day to pull part of the nail out.  I decided to take their advice and proceeded to do that.  They numbed up toe, which is just amazing to me.  We have the technology to numb specific parts of our bodies while not having to go completely under.  They were able to cut a portion away and get the part of the toenail out.  They gave me some medication as well as stuff to wrap it up in.  They said not to go back to work for the day and just let my foot rest.  I headed back home with my stuff and did as they said.  I didn't have any pain with it after the anesthetic wore off which was great.  Also the pain from the nail was completely gone.  It was a complete turn around for me.  There was no longer any pain from the smallest amount of touch on it.  Praise God!

Today I learned that there are so many Mayo buildings.  I parked next to the wrong one and walked past like three others.  It's really quite amazing how much of Rochester is Mayo and all that they do for the city.

Tuesday Night Meetings

10/14/14

Today the big thing were the youth board meeting as well as Council.  In youth board we were able to get quite a bit accomplished.  We set done a date for the lock-in are able to move forward on that which is great for me.  We also scheduled an event for October which is in conjunction with a PYROS event which hopefully helps to bolster attendance to both.  Another part of the discussion was looking at different ways in which we can get news of youth stuff out there.  Sometimes there is a sense of not knowing what is happening and we are looking at causes and also solutions for those.  Lastly we discussed different parts of Lynora's job that still need people or teams to take over.  There is quite a bit of work to do and Lynora is more than willing to teach alongside people who are willing which is great.

After youth board Michael and I headed to Council.  That night at council a major point of discussion was about the vision and mission for paying off the mortgage.  With that coming up Redeemer is being proactive and looking at where to go now that they are taking a new step in their life.  There are some really cool and inspiring ideas coming out of it.  It will be neat to see how the future of Redeemer moves with this talk and God moving them in the right direction.  We also took time to talk more about the theme for this year and I think Council is really starting to run with this and beginning to take ownership of it.

Today I learned that there are always many different directions to go when looking at vision.  Everyone comes from a different direction and we all have our own ideas of where the best direction to head is.

PYROS!

10/13/14

Today was a big day for me to work and think about PYROS.  We've basically had a huge chunk of our foundation leave for different reasons.  None of it is bad, mainly people moving on in life such as college.  It is unfortunately but also a cool time for growth and expansion.  Talking with Michael and others is showing me that we need to find some other ways in which we publicize PYROS and bolster the knowledge and numbers involved.  Right now there are many things in the works and only time will tell if they are effective and helping or not doing anything.  I am anxious to see where it goes and the plans that God has for PYROS.

Today I learned that getting PYROS going is going to be a bit of a ground up work again.  Were going to have to build up our foundation again to keep the momentum moving.  God has blessed us with great adults to help out which is keeping us strong.

Kevin's Visit!

10/12/14

Kevin's visit today!  I did first service getting a bit anxious for him to arrive.  After service I hung out in the Narthex waiting to flag him done.  He did arrive and it was some great conversation to start.  I talked over the schedule one more time with him and showed him a bit around Redeemer.  He asked me some questions about what was going on and what my role was on Sundays as well as during the week.  We then headed downstairs for my Sunday school lesson with the senior high.  He actually did not stay for the lesson but attended Pastor Jim's Bible study.  My lesson went pretty good that day.  Although I did learn that when I have extra time I should keep the youth in their and just have relationship building time.

After that I went to late service.  This time Kevin would be able to see my children's message.  I was getting a bit nervous but overall I wasn't too worried.  I was going to give my message like I usually did and just concentrate on interacting with the kids.  I felt the message went very well and I was happy with it.  After service I gathered the group of people that would be meeting with Kevin.  Then I settled in the office for the most uncomfortable part of the day so far.  I had to wait while the group and then Michael met with Kevin.  I wasn't worried about what they were saying, but a big part of me was curious.

After that Kevin and I headed out to Whiskey Creek for our lunch and meeting.  We talked about a lot of things.  I was able to show him the work I've been doing and also ask questions about what is happening with CSP and its church ministry program.  It was overall a very good visit.  I got some great encouragement as well as some great advice and constructive criticism on my work.  It lifted my spirits and helped me to see where I am headed to improve on next.

Today I learned that although I have many areas to grow in I've come a long way on internship already.  It has been a blast so far and I've learned quite a bit  I can't wait to see what God's got in store for me.  

Channel 1 Garden

10/11/14

Today the main thing I did was the PYROS event.  We gathered at the church and then headed out to the Channel 1 Green Garden.  It is a public garden lot that you can rent out portions to grow.  It is a pretty cool idea and we saw that it was indeed being used.  They also have a compost section there for people to use.  However it had been filled with garbage and very little that could decompose.  So while the youth mainly painted the sign for the garden, the adults worked on cleaning out the compost container.  We were able to clean it all out as well as repaint a note saying "Compost Only" on it.  We also finished the sign as well as painting a bench and three poles there.  It looks like a brand new place.

Today I learned that sometimes fewer people is actually better for certain jobs.  The number of people we had for the PYROS painting and cleaning was perfect for what we had to do.

FAFSA

10/10/14

Today my main goal was getting my FAFSA all done and get everything squared away with CSP.  I was able to get it done really fast and easily and just waiting on CSP now.  It'll be interesting to see how much aid I get this year.  For some reason it did not ask me about my parents taxes but maybe it will come back saying you missed something.  For the majority of the day I mainly played games, read some books, and just hung out.  It was a nice day off.

Today I learned that having free Wi-Fi is pretty awesome.  Even though it went out this evening, not having that expense every month is nice.  I think I am going to to just stick with it and use my hot spot now and then.

Getting all Prepped

10/9/14

Getting close for Kevin's visit here at Redeemer.  I spent most of the day just doing work I have for the upcoming days.  I got quite a bit done which is always nice to go home to.  I also spent some time in the afternoon getting stuff all ready for Kevin being here on Sunday.  I updated all my files so I could have all my work so far in one place.  I also made sure my lessons were ready and all the plans for meetings were in place and ready to go.  It's nice to have built some good habits for this sort of stuff.  Going to WITC and some other courses I took really helped me to get to the place I am right now.  I am feeling very good about internship as well as my direction forward as a future church worker.

Today I learned that I try to finish the week strong.  On Thursdays I 'll try to get a couple extra things done as to help me with the weekend.  I try also very hard to keep work at work and leave time at home as my own.  So far I have been doing pretty well.

Confirmation Night!

10/8/14

Today was a productive day in the office.  I was able to get quite a bit done.  I am not up to date with my blogs.  It feels nice to have those at a point where they are coming out the day after the day they are about.  It keeps those who are interested in reading these a look into what is going on in my life.  Also I am up to date on my journal writing which helps me really evaluate my day.  It gives me a chance to look at the day as a whole and pull out some big things that happened.  For those of you who don't know Michael asked me to journal a couple questions for each day.  So each day I answer the question of what did I learn today, what do I need, what is something I can do better, what I rocked at, and a God sighting for the day.  They have been extremely helpful moving forward in internship.

I spent the afternoon doing a couple other tasks.  One main one was getting my answers ready for confirmation that night.  This is the first Wednesday I've been back since I taught confirmation.  I get to bring the answers to their questions and I am excited to share with them and see what other questions they can come up with.  I also attended the family ministry meeting that happened.  They are going to be having binders with the Lord's Prayer, 10 Commandments, Apostle's Creed, and other things in them.  They are designed for families to use these resources with their kids to really be equipped to be the primary faith builders for their children.  It is such a cool idea because you can add to it as well as put different things that the children have done into the book itself.  It serves as resource for the parents to teach as well as for the children when they grow up to look back on.

After supper I headed to confirmation for the night.  I first went to the 9th graders class.  I shared my answers and got some good responses from them.  Pastor Jim had to laugh at a couple of the questions they had asked me.  They had a couple follow up questions that were very fun to talk about.  Also they started asking questions and Pastor Jim started taking and answering them.  They then got on a role with some great questions for him that really showed they had been reading or at least had questions about the faith.  It was a pretty awesome time  I was able to be in the 1st and 2nd year class for the last ten minutes or so of class which was nice to experience as well.

Today I learned that there are a lot of questions burning in confirmation students' heads.  I guess I did know that but the questions they have are very interesting and ones every Christian struggles with.  The pop culture ones are good to struggle with as well because we see them and are exposed to it all the time.

Certification!

10/7/14

Came in the morning a bit earlier today so that I could get a whole work day in before 4:00 today.  I used Toggl right away and some strategies that I had gleaned from yesterday.  I made sure to start thinking about what I was going to do next so I could move from task to task.  The morning went very well.  Michael and I met and it was a good time.  We went over my journal and were able to discuss some things about that.  Also he looked through my children's message and Sunday school lesson for when Kevin would be coming.  It is really nice for me to have him look through them.  Then we ended our meeting talking about getting the mystery dinner lock in really moving.  I've picked an idea so that there is no thinking later, "Oh I wanted that one" if I had given them a choice.  Maybe later on sometime if that is possible.

After lunch I came  back and did some more little tasks here and there.  I also started to work on my stuff for the confirmation retreat.  I get to teach a section about standing for your faith and what the Bible says.  I'm excited for the activity that I will have them do.  Then at 4 I headed home and then started on to Hudson.  I was going to be at karate for the first time since Gembatte.  I got an amazing welcome from everyone there which was just so heart warming.  It was fun to be able to teach and talk with the new Senseis and all the students.  Then halfway through we had the ceremony for JJ, Kevin G, and myself.  Our paperwork had been accepted and we were awarded our first official red kyu for being 1st degree black belts.  We got a really neat certificate and frame.  It was a awesome time.  Then I had a bit of time to talk with my family and Amy before I headed back to Rochester.

Today I learned that actually quite a few people check out my blog.  I put up a couple posts and I got like 31 page views which is pretty awesome.  I hope people enjoy reading about my days and it can work as an outreach tool of sorts.

Monday

10/6/14

This was my first day back at the office.  It was nice to be back and in the office and everything.  I started using the Toggl website for tracking my time.  It will be interesting to see how it works as I move on through internship.  I spent the morning doing a lot of work on Sunday school stuff and my children's message for next Sunday.  Kevin is coming for my fall visit this Sunday so there is a lot to get ready for.  I have a sizable group for the laity meeting and getting everything ready on my side.  I headed home for lunch and had some soup.

I came back after lunch and went back into stuff.  I worked a lot on getting my journal up to date so Michael could look over it tomorrow.  I also started on the task of getting my blog up to date as well.  I am way behind and need o get that caught back up for both myself, and mainly for my mother who likes to read it.  It was a nice day back at work and building some good habits with time tracking as well as giving myself brain breaks.

Today I learned that Toggl is a great tool to keep me working on projects/tasks.  Since I know I'm tracking my time I make sure I stay on task and getting stuff done.  I also found out what areas I am losing time and some tendencies that I have during the day.

Back into the Swing

10/5/14

This was my first Sunday back since two weeks ago.  It felt really nice to be in service again at Redeemer.  I didn't realize how much I had missed it.  I did my children's message again at early service.  We had a combined Sunday school opening that was done by the 7th graders.  They did a very cool drama that got all of us involved.  They taught us about Elijah and the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel.  Then we headed off to Sunday school time.  The senior high youth went through the idea of Thus Says the Lord, Thus Says a Biblical Character, and Thus Says the World.  The activity went very well and they were able to come to the point at the end of the lesson which was great.  I got a chance to talk to Michael about my children's message and he gave some good advice on it that I was able to use in second service.

I headed home for a bit and then came back in for Ignite later that night.  We started off with some great songs, and generated some excitement about the new songbook coming out soon.  We then went into elbow tag as a beginning activity for the lesson that night.  We then played some mastermind after that.  Then Michael brought us to the 10 Commandments and how the Law is perfect and we all have broken it.  However there is a grace there that saves us.  And with the Law we take a stand, through Christ, for Thus Says the Lord and then the Holy Spirit can show you the Gospel.

Today I learned how to lock up if I'm one of, or the, last person out at night.  It was sort of another rite of passage that was pretty cool for me.  Not important to many people but definitely something for me.  

PYROS!

10/4/14

Today was my day back to work in a small sense.  Today was the first PYROS event of this educational year.  We were going to the University of Minnesota Rochester campus to hand out care-packages to the students.  Redeemer was serving their second meal today at the campus.  We went with them and were off on the side a bit.  We ate lunch with the students and got to talk to them a bit.  Then after everything was slowing down a bit we invited them over to put together some care-packages.  They seemed to really enjoy it and it was fun to give them the cross that they had made at Sunday school the past Sunday.  The event went off wonderfully and we had the perfect amount of people for what we were doing.  Then I went to service that night and did my children's message.  It went pretty well, and I even remembered my prayer which was a total bonus.

Today I learned that I am getting more comfortable stepping into different areas.  I started the Apostle's Creed in service as well as moving into the offering and collecting prayer requests.  It was actually kind of fun.

Day Off

10/3/14

Today was my day off.  It was nice to have a day to sleep in and get some good sleep.  I missed all the people and what we had done during the seminar but at the same time some good old alone time was much needed.  I spent the day doing some dishes, laundry, playing some games, watching Netflix, and hanging out at my apartment.  It was a pretty awesome day off, getting ready for the PYROS event tomorrow.

Today I learned that I really missed my apartment.  It was nice to sleep in my own bed and be somewhere that was my own in a sense.

Kindle For Recent Grads Day 5

10/2/14

This was our last day of Kindle.  It was a bitter sweet moment.  It was nice because we would be getting back to our congregations and able to take what we had learned and start to apply it.  It was bitter because we wouldn't be seeing each other for a long time, at least not in person.  Our morning session was the only session we had that day.  We talked about going back and what that would look like.  Also we touched on what it looked like to pause and take a break while at our different congregations.  We then took time to write affirmations to each person in our circle to be able to read later when we arrived home or on the way home.  Lastly we laid on hands for each member of our circle group and prayed for them.  It was an extremely powerful moment that I will never forget.  We built such a great connection and relationships.

Michael and I headed back to Rochester and literally took turns talking the whole time back.  He said later that it was good for him because he was a bit tired.  We talked about all sorts of things, for those of you who can't believe it.  He has the same talent that Amy has.  Both of them have the ability to get me to just start talking like uncontrollably.  We got back later and I basically just unpacked and hung out for the rest of the night.  It had been an amazing last couple of days.

Today I learned that I am not alone out there.  Besides Redeemer staff, and future staffs I will be a part of, I have a whole network of DCEs I can call on for help.  Being aware of that makes things not seem so daunting and crazy moving towards the call process.

Kindle For Recent Grads Day 4

10/1/14

Wednesday came with our second full day of sessions.  We started off again with worship and then breakfast.  Our first session that day was stewardship of time.  This was an incredibly helpful session for me.  I have always had trouble in this area.  Mainly because I haven't found a system that works for me very well.  I am getting much better as time goes on.  Internship has helped me find really good ways that help me manage my time well.  We then had a session after lunch on should I stay or should I go.  I didn't think I would get much out of this because I was only on internship.  However we talked about much more and I was able to glean quite a bit and store away much for later on in my ministry.

Our session in the afternoon was an open mic time to ask and answer questions.  During the first couple days we were encouraged to write down questions and stick them in the box that would be gone through during this time.  I was very excited for this time.  We went through most of the questions there, keeping a time limit so as to get through the most possible.  We covered many areas and it was nice because if anyone had input they could talk about it.  It was great to hear from the very experienced teachers and other circle coaches, as well as where all the other recent graduates were at as well.  That was probably the  most helpful session of the whole seminar for me personally.

Today I learned that sometimes I have to be a bit rude, in my own mind, and interrupt people.  Being a quieter person I listen a lot and sometimes don't get a chance to voice my question or opinion.

Kindle For Recent Grads Day 3

9/30/14

Today was our first full day of Kindle.  We had morning worship at 7:30.  It was very early but a great experience.  We sing a couple songs, do some liturgical responses, and then end with circle time to discuss Scripture and questions.  It was great to hear many different viewpoints.  After that we had breakfast and moved into our first session for the day.  The topic was leading from the second chair.  This is the idea that DCEs are not the first chair at a parish.  That is the Pastor more than often.  However we are leaders within the congregation and we lead from a second chair position.  That was a very good session for me and I learned quite a bit,  Our next session was welcome to boot camp.  There we talked about physical wellness.  Part of it was doing a competition between the circle groups.  Our group was able to win which was sweet!

In the evening we had our final session of the day.  It was about communication and conflict.  The communication part was very helpful for me.  I was able to pick up some great materials and options for things of that nature.  The conflict training was also very helpful.  I however did not have much experience to draw on in that area.  One thing about Redeemer, a good thing by far, is that there isn't much conflict between staff or the other groups there really at all.  It was a good session to take in some great strategies and ideas for later in my ministry career.  We ended the night with some fellowship time.  It's just great to get to know these awesome people apart from ministry as well.

Today I learned that I have a bit to offer when it comes to talking with recent graduates of church work.  I thought that the whole time I would be listening mainly, but I was able to share some experiences as well.

Kindle For Recent Grads day 2

9/29/14

Today was the first official day of Kindle.  I spent the morning just hanging out in my room as well as exploring a bit more of the place we were staying at.  I found it pretty funny that a group of Lutheran DCEs were having this conference at a Catholic retreat center.  During the morning both teams were meeting and preparing for when the rest of the people going through the initiatives would arrive.  In the recent grads there were three CSP people including myself.  It was David, Emmalee, and myself.  It was really great to see them again and get a chance to catch up and everything.  We had our first session that night and we got into our circle groups.  I was not with Emmalee or David and that was a good thing for me.  I was glad to get to know some new people.  I had Megan, Jennifer, Josh, and Julianna was our circle coach.  It was going to be a good week and I couldn't wait to see what God had in store for me.

Today I learned that God likes to throw surprises in my face and make me think.  When we got into our circle groups I was a bit disappointed.  I tried to change my thinking right there and open myself to what God had in store.    

Kindle for Recent Grads Day 1

9/28/14

The morning started off with a drive with Michael and service at a church in the Des Moines area.  It was a very cool worship experience.  They do many things that involve the whole congregation.  Then we headed out to a stop for lunch.  We stopped at Zombie Burger and Drink Lab in Des Moines.  It is a burger place that is zombie themed.  It is a pretty interesting place.  All their burgers, and other meals, are named after some zombie movie or quote.  It was a pretty fun place to eat and the food was actually pretty good.  It was definitely a memory I will remember forever.  Then we got back on the road and kept going.  And contrary to popular belief, apparently, we did indeed talk quite a bit on the way to Kansas City.  It was all over the area as well.  We talked about work as well as just chatting and having a good time.

We arrived at the place we would be staying until Thursday.  Michael had stuff to get set up for and meet with his team.  I hung out mainly in my room doing some work to get everything ready for when I came back.  Also I walked around a bit exploring the place we were at.  I am just calling it the place because the name is really long and easier to write place rather than the other one over and over again.  That evening they had a time of worship and they invited me to participate.  I was able to meet some amazing DCEs.  Most of them I have either heard about as legends and/or read materials they have published.  Then they did a book game where they picked up, or stole a book that had once belonged to Jack Giles, another legend in the DCE community.  It was an awesome time for me and I just mainly listened and took it all in.

Today I learned that there are some amazing DCEs out there, and completely humble and friendly people.  I met a lot of people's whos' names I've read in books.  But to get to meet and know them was awesome!

Getting Ready!

9/27/14

Today was a relaxation and getting ready for Kindle day.  I took most of the day and just hung around the apartment doing some gaming, watching some Revolution, and working on some role playing stuff for my campaign.  Throughout the day I packed for Kindle and read more on what I should be expecting going into this.  I am excited to see what this is and see what I will be able to glean from it.
Today I learned that I do not miss the excitement and craziness around homecoming.  Today is homecoming at CSP and being in Rochester is wonderful.  Not having to work at or play for homecoming was so nice this year.  To be able to just hang our away from that was wonderful.

CSP Chapel

9/26/14

Well today was the CSP chapel day.  We all piled into Michael's van and headed to the cities.  It was fun to have a car ride to talk with Michael and April.  Caleb came with us and he was in his own little world on the way down.  We had some really fun conversation.  Once at CSP we got to the chapel and began to set up.  We meet Pastor Koglin and Anna there along with Isaac and Aaron.  We also had Sam and Ryan show up and got a chance to talk with them as well.  Then we did our chapel and it went over very smoothly.  I noticed that doing chapel there was a lot more intimidating for me as opposed to worship at Redeemer.  I think it is because I feel as though the professors I have had are teaching me still there.

After that we headed to lunch and were able to show Pastor Koglin and April the new dinning hall for the first time.  It was a good time and we were able to talk to Shelly about the ministry going on there as well as the church worker programs at CSP.  Several students and staff came up and talked to individuals or the group as a whole.  It was a very fun experience to see all those people and see the different connections that we had to different professors and students.  After getting back I took the rest of the day off and just hung out watching some  Netflix and playing some games.  It was a pretty awesome day.

Today I learned that it is a way different dynamic to do chapel at CSP as opposed to worship at Redeemer.  It was fun to be there but also very different compared to what I've been doing for the past couple months.

Dave Horn!

9/25/14

Today was your average day at work.  I was able to accomplish quite a bit.  I am mainly working on stuff so that it is all set up when Michael and I get back from Kindle.  I didn't quite realize how much actually goes into me not being here.  I definitely don't have the involvement of Michael.  But still have several things that need to be in place so that I can be gone and everything that needs to get done, does indeed get done.  This weekend we have Dave Horn here.  He is a traveling minister who does services for churches and uses a lot of music.  I went to our Thursday night with him and it was very cool.  We did singing for many parts, and he even did a bit during the sermon.  My favorite part was the sung confession and absolution.  It as a very cool moment and quite powerful in my opinion.  I also enjoyed just being at worship and not having to worry about any part I had to prepare for or anything of that sort.

Today I learned that there are many different ways to run a worship time.  I was able to participate in a worship led by Dave Horn, as I mentioned earlier.  He incorporates music into nearly every aspect of the service and he is quite talented.  It is a very cool experience if you have never heard of him.  

Confirmation

9/24/14

In the morning we had a staff meeting.  It was the first staff meeting for Pastor Jim for awhile.  It was good to be able to hear from him and what was going on.  Keep his family in your prayers.  We spent a good amount of time getting him caught up as to what had happened and what was coming up.  After that he went back to his office and we worked some more on the CSP chapel.  I am very excited with what we are doing and what direction we are going.  I pray that God will work through us to Make Him Known to the students and faculty during the chapel time.  Then in turn that they will see the opportunities to Make Him Know as well and jump at them.  After that I began working on an activity for Confirmation tonight.  I am still toying around with how to do it but have the general idea in my head.

After lunch I came back and really got to work on the activity.  It is a sheet of paper with a road on it.  I drew on little "exits" all along the road.  It is called the grudge road.  On the road they will write down how a grudge starts and what it can eventually lead to.  Each of the "exits" were God's forgiveness and they are able to get us off the grudge road.  At confirmation that night the lesson went much better than my last one.  I felt very good about it.  There were definitely areas that I could improve but that is kind of the point of internship.  It was an overall very good day and I had fun with the ninth grade confirmation class and can't wait to teach them again sometime and also work with the 1st and 2nd year students later on.

Today I learned that taking a few suggestions and applying them can improve my teaching by leaps and bounds.  I felt one hundred times better about this lesson as opposed to the one before for confirmation.  As I said before there is still always room for improvement.

Planning Time

9/23/14

I spent a portion of the morning working on my blog and journal entry and was able to get that updated.  I spent the rest of the morning really working on my confirmation lesson for tomorrow.  I kept my notes from Michael in front of me as I started and went though it.  I made sure to put in as many notes for myself and what I want to say and how I want to say it as I could.  I also put in reminders to do certain things like: setting the room, getting away from the podium, and picking on the quieter people in the room.  I was able to work on my goal for the lesson and then hit a bit of a roadblock with it as to where I wanted to go.  I was able to bounce some ideas off Michael right there and he suggested mini goals as well that are specific.  This helped to serve as the outline for my lesson and got me moving forward again.

After lunch I came back and continued to work on my lesson.  I feel like I might be taking too much time to finish it.  However being in the learning experience time it is probably good and expected for me.  I was able to finish my lesson and do quite a bit of other work getting ready for being gone for a week.  It is quite a lot to take care of when I really stop and think about all the things that will come up out of nowhere if I don't work on them.  Later in the afternoon Michael and I were able to talk about my lesson.  There were a couple areas that he said could use rewording to help the 9th graders think about them better.  Also one thing I completely changed because it strayed a bit from my overall goal and didn't help entirely to move towards it.  I changed it and need to just get a second activity ready and I am prepared to teach tomorrow.

Today I learned that I am drawn to the difficult points in Scripture.  I see them and want to explore and discuss them.  This is a good thing for my growth and now just nee the time to actually check these out sometime and with someone.  

Monday Busyness

9/22/14

In the morning I took most of the time to update my journal.  I didn't get into my blogs because they were building up to be so many.  I would get to them eventually though.  I really really need to do my journal on the day I am writing about.  I should start to build the habit of doing my journal entry and my blog post the night of that day so everything is fresh in my head and I don't always do them the morning after or play catch up on Monday.  Before lunch I also worked on and completed my quarterly self-assessment so Michael and I could talk about it in our meeting later in the afternoon.  We both laughed as I asked questions about wording on some of the portions that he didn't really know either.  We both agreed that this may need to be looked at again for future interns

After lunch Michael and met and had a long meeting.   We had a lot to talk about with Kindle for Recent Grads coming up as well as everything else taking off this week and next with us gone.  We were finally able to talk about my lesson.  He gave me some great things to work on and a couple of them I had picked up on when I had looked back on my lesson myself.  I am excited to improve my teaching style next time around.  We also talked about PYROS and some upcoming events to get ready for them and what needs to be done to prepare for them.  Lastly we went through the assessment and in most areas we were the same as to where I was.  Most others we either came to the area in different ways or one away from what we had put down.  It was a good discussion and really helped me to see where I am at this point in internship.

Today I learned some great areas I an improve my teaching ability  Having Michael being able to give me points is great.  He can impart wisdom and I get to try it out and develop my own way of teaching in a safe environment.

Busy Day

9/21/14

Today was a really good Sunday for me.  It started off with me playing my saxophone at early service.  I played the anthem: Come Thou Font, and I played the offering song: El Shaddai.  I thought I sounded pretty good.  You know it is something when the musician is happy with their own performance.  I am pretty hard on myself when it comes to those things.  I made a couple mistakes, but everyone does in some way in live music I think.  Then the upper grades had a combined Sunday school with April about worship.  I was able to help her get all the stuff she needed.  It was a very good lesson and I pray that the kids took away some good lessons about what worship is and what our part is in it.  Second service went good but I did not play for that one.  Pastor Koglin had a great sermon about using God's words in loving actions.

In the afternoon Amy, JJ, T, and I went to the Renaissance Festival.  We all were dressed up.  It is always fun to hang out with them.  We walked a bit and looked at some way expensive stuff which is always fun.  Then we headed to the stage and watched a couple shows.  I'm not a huge fan of the shows but it's time to hang out with them.  I like getting their latter in the afternoon so that we really go to the places we actually want to visit rather than just walking around aimlessly.  Then we all headed our separate directions.   It was a pretty awesome day overall.  

Today I learned I am really starting to know where everything is at at Redeemer.  I was able to get supplies for April while she was teaching Sunday school and that felt good for me.

Gaming Update

9/20/14

Another day off for me today.  Today I did more reading and other stuff than I did gaming.  I sat down and wrote the adventure logs from our last gaming session on Obsidian Portal.  It was fun to put them up and do some work on the campaign website.  I really hope we get to play it again soon.  It is one of the longest campaigns we've ever been through.  Calculating it all up we are past 300 xp which is the upper level of what you give starting characters if they are like grizzled veterans or elders.  I still didn't do my dishes....  But it was a good day today.

Today I learned that I compare most, if not all, sci-fi series and movies to Firefly and Serenity.  I always think they could have done this better or where is the character development.  

Dishes 1, Brian 0

9/19/14

Well today was a day off spent entirely at my apartment.  It was nice to recharge my batteries and have some introvert time.  I mainly did some gaming today and other things.  However the one thing I should probably have done right away was my dishes.  My mom is probably laughing right now because she knows how much I love doing dishes.

Today I learned that I unconsciously do everything to get away from doing dishes.  I kept myself busy doing anything all day to avoid doing dishes  My mom would say there is nothing new there.  :p

Cluster Group!

9/18/14

In the morning Michael and I went to cluster group.  This is a time when a group of DCEs from around the area get together and just talk ministry and what not.  This is a good connection point for me and a way to hear from other DCEs as to where they are at.  We talked a bit about millenials and how each of our churches are approaching that and looking from pointers from past experiences and what we are doing now.  It was very interesting to see how other congregations approach ministry.  I am starting to make a mental list of the different ways for my future call so I have some ammunition on my belt.

In the afternoon we had a Ignite/PYROS planning meeting.  During the meeting we spent a little amount of time on Ignite themes.  We wanted to get people thinking but not spend the whole time on that.  Michael wanted to give some chances for others who were not there and other youth to get some ideas in as well.  We then went into the main goal of the night:  planning PYROS events up until the month of December.  There were some awesome ideas thrown out there and we were able plan all the way into December which was awesome.  I am very excited to see these events happen and how they affect those around us.  I finished up the night with subbing in for Michael for Children's message.  Something in the chapel was making a lot of noise so we had Thursday service in the sanctuary.  I was able to do the children's message and it went over well.

Today I learned that there is a lot behind getting paid and insurance in the church.  It is something I've never thought about nor something we've ever talked about in any classes at school.  

Confirmation

9/17/14

We had our staff meeting today.  Most of our time was spent talking about the CSP chapel that we would be doing as a staff on Friday.  We are trying to bring in both their theme for homecoming and our theme for the year at Redeemer.  It is fun to bring that other places and it is such an easy theme to incorporate into any sense of Christian life.  Making Him Known is what we are called to do with our lives in Christ.  It will also be a good time to be at CSP again for a day.  I don't know many students there anymore but seeing some of the professors will be fun.

I was able to teach confirmation again tonight.  I was excited and nervous again.  That, in my mind, is a good combination as long as the nerves are lower than than the excitement.  That way you are a bit on edge and think about what you are saying.  Michael would be there evaluating me a bit which is very helpful.  My lesson went over decently well for tackling a tough subject.  There were a couple areas that I felt interesting in.  Michael asked that I went through my lesson and write down how I felt about the different areas and we would talk later.  I have to admit that that night was me just constantly thinking about my lesson and what he could say.

Today I learned that I don't give myself as much time to think about questions before going into an answer.  Taking a bit of time to think and evaluate can never hurt.  

New Plans

9/16/14

Today was your typical work day.  I got quite a bit accomplished today at the office.  My main goal today was to start getting stuff done the day before I have that event.  This is mainly for children's messages and lessons for teaching Sunday school and confirmation.  Other things I still get done plenty early in order to have more time to edit and have them looked at.  However for those other things the day before is great.  I have the rest of that day to think about them and have them in my head.  If another good idea comes to mind I can add it in no problem.  It also allows me to run them past Michael and to get his feedback.  He has been doing this for a lot longer than I have and his eyes on them catch things I never would, which is so helpful.

Today I learned that having stuff done the day before feels so good.  It lets me really concentrate on my lesson, or whatever it is that I am working on.  I also gain while day to check it out and keep revamping.

Rummage Sale Set Up

9/15/14

Today's morning was spent filling in journals for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as well as writing up the blog posts for that day.  I am very proud of myself for keeping up so well on this blog.  It sometimes is a pain in the butt but I know at the end of internship I will appreciate looking back on this or my paper as well as just memories.  Michael and I also helped to bring some stuff downstairs for the rummage sale.  It reminds me of Trinity's sale.  They have a lot of stuff this year which will be awesome.  I headed home for lunch.  For lunch today I had leftovers from Zadeos that Amy and I didn't eat on Sunday.  I heated them up in the oven because that is the only way leftover pizza is delicious as leftovers!

I came back to church and Michael and I had our meeting.  We went over my journal, which always seems to be like 2 weeks in between (very busy).  It was a good time for us to touch bases and now able to set some habits and patterns we simply didn't have time for before.  After that I went into practice wit April.  I am playing this week at church which is nerve racking and exciting at the same time.  Practice went well.  I am extremely hard on myself when it comes to my music and so I thought I sounded terrible.  I think just a couple more practice times will help me to feel more at ease.  I spent the rest of time at church working on my book blog for internship.

I came back around ten to five.  I was helping, and hopefully with some youth, to set up the rummage sale.  There were quite a few adults including Michael, Paul, and myself.  We were putting tables and chairs in different places and setting it up for the best viewing and flow of traffic.  We did get one youth near the end of the night.  Drew was able to show up and help a bit after his swimming practice.  We actually got everything done at around 7:15 or so.  I need to at some point go back down and take some pictures so they have them for next year on how to set it up again.

Today I learned that sometimes it is the littlest things that make the biggest impacts.  I helped set up the rummage sale and it was just a fun time for me.  I didn't mind the work part at all and it was a good time hanging out with the planners.  I don't know the impact I had on them for my help but they made a huge impact on me that night.

Ignite Kickoff

9/14/14

I was up early for service.  I got there and able to say hello with a lot of names attached which makes me feel awesome.  We started Sunday school with the opening done by Michael.  It was a great set up for the month.  I came back and taught the senior high youth for the first time here at Redeemer.  I got some good discussion out of them and knew all the names of everyone there which made me so happy!  They seemed to get something out of the discussion and activity we had as well.  I pray that it spoke to their hearts and were able to glen some valuable lessons that God was teaching them.  It was fun to be teaching like that again.  I didn't realize how much I had missed it from field work until I did it today again.

After Sunday school I caught up with Amy and we enjoyed service together.  We were sitting next to Miriam and John and it was the most awesome experience ever.  Miriam was translating every word spoken into Arabic for a few siblings there.  It was such a cool moment for the Gospel to shine through as well as Making Him Known.  Also a Chinese family came in and their oldest son seemed to be doing the same in Chinese for his parents.  Both are such inspiring moments especially given the theme we have this year.  After service Amy and I headed back to my apartment.  We ate at Zadeos and she loved it.  Then we simply just napped before I had practice as well as the Ignite Kickoff.

Both Amy and I played with the instruments of praise and both of us had a great time.  I had missed playing with a group and it was fun to hear that ensemble sound again.  After practice we ate with the youth for the kickoff of Ignite.  We then had a time of devotion.  We talked about this  year's theme and how we can Make Him Known in our home, church, community, and the world.  I was able to lead a small group and it was a lot of fun.  They wanted me to join which was super awesome.  I am glad to be getting some good relationships going with the youth.  After that we played two games.  One was tag where when you attach to someone the opposite person has to run.  I forget the name for it but it was one we played at school at a lot.  After that we played Hunger Games.  Everyone gets a pool noodle and you try to tag everyone else out, all while in the dark.  It was a great time.  After that Amy headed home and I did some World of Darkness stuff and what not.

Today I learned that I really excel when I'm with the youth.  That is those in 6th grade on up.  I have so much fun with them and I'm able to get them to open up and build relationships with them pretty easily.